


Don't You Dare

by Moonie96



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Bottom Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Eventual Smut, Fluff, JunHao are step-brothers, Junhui is such a sweetheart, Just read it if you're interested okay, M/M, Minghao is bad at feelings, Mingyu is whipped, Slow Burn, Top Xu Ming Hao | The8, slow updates sorry, there are side ships too, this is such a slow burn lol, yes there is smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2019-06-30 02:45:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15742557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonie96/pseuds/Moonie96
Summary: Minghao thought he was the one and only heir to their family company Xu Electronics. Not that he really wanted to handle such a high position though, because with all honesty he was simply after the power and reputation guaranteed by having the company to himself. That also didn’t mean he was incapable of handling responsibilities. Hell, he gave up his own dreams just to study business in preparation for becoming the boss.So when Wen Junhui LITERALLY came waltzing into his life as his new step brother, everything turned shit. He now has a competition to the ‘throne’ and his own father seems to like the older male more, which pisses Minghao on levels he never quite understood because Junhui is and always appeared to be harmless. Even though Junhui made it clear that he had no interests for business, Minghao always feels uneasy around him.Well…maybe it wasn’t about the business. Maybe it’s simply by the way Junhui’s gentle smiles and melodious laughs tug at Minghao’s heartstrings in the most forbidden of ways possible. After all, it’s never easy feeling things like these towards your very own step brother.





	1. Too Perfect

                The night was getting boring for Minghao despite the presence of his closest friends Mingyu and Soonyoung. The classical music being played during the supposedly joyous event added up to his sour mood instead of lightening it. Mingyu has been trying to humor him with corny jokes for the past five minutes but he couldn’t bring himself to laugh along. Soonyoung on the other hand has been trying to engage him to conversations that are of his interest from time to time but he’s too preoccupied to listen.

                One question was bothering him for the whole day. How could his father decide to remarry now when he’s about to take over the company?

                Minghao wasn’t against the idea of his father falling in love again. After his mother died when he was eight, he has never seen the man truly happy with his own life. Minghao partly wished for this to happen. But what he didn’t wish for was a step brother who was just about his age and is an absolute threat because he isn’t the only successor of their family company anymore.

                Though he has never seen him before, he heard the man also majored in business and that he excels in a lot of things such as sports and communication, since he knows how to speak 10 different languages. Minghao only knows eight and he’s already freaking out because that simply meant the other male already had an advantage. He heard a lot more admirable things about Junhui but for the sake of not letting him drown on his own insecurities let’s just not talk about them.

                “Where have you been?” Minghao was pulled out from his thoughts when he heard Soonyoung speak. He turned to his left and saw Mingyu approaching them with a plate of pineapples. Minghao couldn’t help but shake his head. Wherever there's food, there's Kim Mingyu.

                “The buffet table.” Mingyu simply answered and sat beside Hao. He didn’t even bother offering his friends some of the pineapples and went straight to eating like he’s a camel that’s been starved for days.

                “I gotta admit, this party is shit dude.” Soonyoung finally said after another three minutes wasted in complete silence. They both looked around and Minghao couldn’t agree less. Almost everyone invited to the wedding reception were old and only wanted to talk about business, particularly partnerships and investments. The guests who looked their age didn’t seem interesting at all too, which means that the three of them were going to be stuck with each other for the rest of the evening.

                “Blugrr uggrr grruu shurggglll brrr.” Minghao and Soonyoung both turned their heads to Mingyu to give him one of their most judgmental looks. The tall male smiled sheepishly before swallowing all that he was eating and cleared his throat.

                “I said where’s your new step brother? Didn’t your father tell us he’s gonna introduce him to everyone tonight? Plus, I heard he’s the shy type and doesn’t really like being around a lot of people.” Minghao raised his eyebrows at Mingyu who went back to stuffing his mouth with those damn pineapples like they meant the whole world to him.

                “Where’d you hear all those shit from?” Soonyoung asked curiously. Of course they were curious. Junhui didn’t show up this morning for the wedding because he was still in China booking a flight to catch up tonight.

                “His relatives were being too loud back at the buffet table. Said something about that Junhui guy being so timid and incompetent in most things, and clumsy to top all that.” Minghao knew better than to believe Mingyu’s words. In the world of business, people tend to say shit to ruin each other’s reputations just to uplift themselves. And the more shit people say about someone, the more reputable that someone is, which now brings us back to Xu Minghao’s building anxiety.

                He couldn’t help but think that aside from love, what if his father decided to marry that woman because he wanted a different heir? It couldn’t be fully coincidental that Junhui is also a business graduate right? Minghao kind of knows how his father’s mind works. The man always tends to think in advance and plan things out even before they have started. That’s what made Xu Electronics rise to fame in the first place. His father has incredible foresight. And what if that foresight told him not to choose his own son as an heir? What if that foresight doesn’t actually include him? What if Junhui is actually the one who’s gonna inherit the company? All of those years Minghao spent to chase a dream that’s not his own will be put to waste.

                Of course he wouldn’t just let that happen! Just because that Junhui guy is now part of their family doesn’t mean he’s also qualified to run the company because first of all, he’s not a Xu. And if ever his own father decides to choose the other male, Minghao isn’t backing down without a fight. He’s the rightful heir of Xu Electronics and he would like to keep it that way.

 

 

 

                “C-can’t I just stay here?” Junhui fidgeted in his seat. Ever since he made it to the party he’s been feeling quite uneasy, especially when he spotted three of his overly rude cousins by the buffet table chatting their hearts out.

                “I’m afraid not, sir. Your mother has requested your presence.” Jisoo smiled at him in the most comforting ways and Junhui couldn’t help letting out his own smile at the older male. But then the worries resurfaced and killed his short moment of calmness.

                “What if I embarrass myself in front of everyone? Mom knows how nervous I can get. And what if his new husband doesn’t like me? What if he and mom would get a divorce because of me-“

                “Junhui.” It would be an understatement to say Junhui was surprised when Jisoo held his hand from under the table. Truth be told, he almost fell from his seat. Well, he can’t help it if he’s very gay for Hong Jisoo, his mother’s most trusted assistant. He’s been crushing on the man ever since he saw him apply for their company back in China. Since then Jisoo has become Junhui’s personal hero, one that’s always there for him in times of need and one who always manages to make him smile even when he’s beyond upset.

                “-because you’re her son and she loves you.” Jisoo’s last words made Junhui snap out of his thoughts.

                “What?” Jisoo chuckled at the lost look Junhui gave him.

                “I said you better show yourself to your mom before she grabs a microphone and announces that you’re missing.” Jisoo tilted his head to a certain direction behind Junhui and when Junhui turned to look, he saw his own mother about to grab the microphone from the MC so without thinking much about it he stood up from where he and Jisoo sat in the corner and approached his mother. Jisoo chose to stay in his place and watched as Junhui strode confidently towards the mini stage where his mother was.

                “You came!” Was the first thing his mother exclaimed when she noticed his approaching figure. The genuine smile she gave her son made Junhui’s heart clench. She never smiled like that when she was still with his father. The man didn’t love her at all, and their marriage was purely for business purposes. After some time they both decided that they weren’t made for each other and that they both wanted different things, so they had their wedding annulled.

                “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Sorry I was late though.” Junhui smiled back before kissing his mom in the cheek. She giggled at the sweet gesture and started pulling his son to where her new husband sat, waiting for them.

                ‘It’s now or never.’ Junhui thought as he took a deep breath and approached the man who was smiling at him like he’s known Junhui for years.

 

 

 

                “That must be him!” Soonyoung suddenly exclaimed which had Mingyu choking on his pineapples and Minghao almost dropping his wine glass. A few people nearby were also startled by his loudness.

                “Keep it down will you!?” Minghao hissed at his friend.

                “Him who?” Mingyu asked as soon as he recovered from choking.

                “Who else? Hao’s step-brother of course!” Both men immediately turned to the direction of the mini stage. A man whose back was turned to them caught Minghao’s attention. He was tall and slender, and his build was similar to Hao’s. He wore a black tux just like everyone else but he could already tell that there’s something different about the guy. When Hao’s eyes landed on his father he almost choked on his own spit when he saw how brightly the man smiled at his step-brother. He rarely smiles at Hao that way and when he does, it’s either Hao did well in school or offered a good idea for their business. He never smiled at Hao like that just because he announced his presence. He couldn’t help the feeling of jealousy burning at the pit of his stomach.

                “Okay.” He tried to play it cool by shrugging and going back to drinking some more wine. Both his friends raised their eyebrows at him.

                “I thought you wanted to meet him.” Soonyoung said, eyes fixed on his friend who was looking at anywhere but the direction of the mini stage.

                “Yeah, I thought you-“

                “Meeting and seeing someone are two different things. I said I wanted to see him, not meet him. You guys have poor memory.” It was true though, Minghao only said that he wanted to see his step-brother. He doesn’t want to be engaged in formal introductions just yet.

                “Okay.” Came Mingyu’s simple answer. He knows the look his friend is currently giving off. The look of pure jealousy. It usually shows whenever someone in their class back in college did better than him, or when Soonyoung gets to compete at dance competitions and he’s stuck among the audience as a supportive friend because his father never liked the idea of him becoming a professional dancer. He decided to stay quiet and let the other male deal with his own feelings.

 

 

 

                “T-that’s so nice of you to say…sir—I mean, dad.” Junhui was having one of the most awkward moments of his life. The man in front of him was praising him for stuff that are honestly not a big deal like him being a part time model back in China and his hobby of teaching high school kids how to dance whenever he has free time. The man is obviously exaggerating and it’s making him feel uncomfortable. He threw a quick and discreet glance at Jisoo and as expected, the male was busy with his phone again. Something about an online game he’s currently addicted to. At times like this he wished their minds were connected so he could easily tell the older male to come over and get him the hell out of here.

                Don’t get him wrong. He’s fine with Mr. Xu being his mom’s new husband and all, it’s just that he’s not quite fond of talking about himself with people he only knew for a short while. Perhaps there’s a way to postpone this small talk? He would like to get to know the man better before they get to talk about the more personal stuff.

                “Oh my goodness! Jun dear, do you hear that?” His awkward conversation with his step-dad was thankfully interrupted when his mother suddenly exclaimed beside him, tugging at the sleeve of his coat just like a child. When Junhui realized what she meant he couldn’t help the smile forming on his lips. It was their favorite classical piece playing.

                “May I, mom?” Junhui easily slipped from Korean to Mandarin, and Mr. Xu smiled at the mother and son fondly. At the back of his mind he knows that he has made the right choice of marrying Junhui’s mother. She’s very much like Minghao’s mom who passed away a long time ago. With her in his life, the memories of his past love doesn’t seem to hurt so much anymore. He’s finally going to be able to start anew and for that, he’s thankful and hopeful.

                “Of course!” Junhui’s mom giggled as she took her son’s outstretched hand, leading her to the center of the ballroom.

 

 

 

                “Holy fuck-“ Minghao and Soonyoung turned to look at Mingyu who was choking on his pineapples for the second time tonight. The two didn’t even bother helping him and simply ejoyed his suffering like the good friends they are.

                “Goddammit!” The tall male exclaimed after recovering while glaring at his two best friends murderously. Soonyoung just snickered beside Hao who couldn’t help but smirk at his friend’s misfortune.

                “I could’ve died you know!?” Mingyu hissed.

                ”Nobody told you to stuff eight pineapple chunks in your mouth at the same time.” Minghao deadpanned.

                “It was just six!” Mingyu argued which had Soonyoung giggling stupidly in his seat. Well finally, something funny in this boring night.

                “Plus, that wasn’t the reason why I choked man!” Mingyu added while grabbing a glass of champagne from a waiter passing by with a tray of drinks. He downed everything in one go like it was just water.

                “What? Finally spotted a hottie?” Minghao doubts that the answer to his own question would be a yes. He’s been looking around for at least thirty minutes now and literally no one is even close enough to the word attractive. Or maybe his standards are just too high. Either way, nothing is really catching his attention right now.

                “Xu Minghao, you lucky bastard.” Minghao raised his brows at Mingyu who suddenly turned serious. And what’s more surprising is he nodded at Minghao’s question.

                “Wha-“ before he could even finish his question, Mingyu already grabbed his head and twisted it to face his front.

                “What…” Innocent doe eyes, pointed nose, plump lips, fair skin, small face, tall and slim figure waltzing his way towards them. That’s what greeted Minghao’s eyes after Mingyu twisted his head rather harshly, a few bones in his neck cracking. With him was Minghao's step-mother who was beaming at them happily.

                “Minghao dear, I’d like you to meet my son and your new step-brother, Junhui.”

                “Uhh, hi...Minghao.”

                “Hao, he said hi.”

                “Dude, say something. Hey! Psst!”

                Maybe it was the way Mingyu twisted his head rather painfully that his brain started to sort circuit, or the way Junhui’s eyes seemed to pin him down to his seat with his gaze along with that adorable half smile.

                Either way, Minghao knows that from this day onward, things aren’t gonna be easy for him.

                His step-brother is too perfect, and he hates it.


	2. Staying Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junhui tries to make things clear for Minghao.

        Minghao has never experienced such a long and tiring party in his whole life until now. When Junhui and his step-mother approached him and his friends, he was then tugged by the woman he now calls mom to the mini stage where his father sat in all his glory. He and Junhui were immediately introduced to everyone present in the event as step-brothers which earned them a big round of applause accompanied by a few cameras flashing. A few fake smiles here and there and Minghao already feels the familiar ache in his cheeks. If only he was a little bolder he would’ve grabbed the microphone from the MC and yelled ‘party’s over hoes’ to everyone in the big room. But of course he couldn’t so he just stayed in his place with his fake smile for everyone to see, and he swears he could see Mingyu and Soonyoung taking pictures of him while snickering in the corner of his eye just like one of those typically annoying best friends. He takes a mental note to deal with the little shits tomorrow…maybe let them kneel before him and lick his shoes (as if he could do that to his friends).

        To make things worse for him, his own father really decided to start talking with Junhui about their company as soon as they took their seats after greeting everyone. Even though he was part of the conversation, Hao could feel the invisible barrier between him and them as they continue to discuss about the current situation including their future plans for Xu Electronics like they’re the real father and son. To say Minghao was jealous was an understatement. He was mad, and as much as he hates to admit it he’s also feeling a bit too insecure and inferior. His personally knows how his father rarely trusts others to start talking to them about business matters particularly the important details, but then Wen Junhui happened in the blink of an eye.

        Wen Junhui with that adorably innocent smile and over-the-top politeness. Wen Junhui knowing just what to say when his father asks him a question. Wen Junhui who also graduated with a business  course which he believes cannot be purely coincidental. Wen Junhui with those cat-like eyes and pointed nose and perfectly glowing skin and soft-looking hair and that damn body shape---

        “Minghao.”

        “What?” He wanted to bang his own forehead on concrete for spacing out like that and what the heck was he even thinking of just now? Minghao could feel the goosebumps  appearing on his skin at the thought of finding his own step-brother attractive.

        “I asked if are you okay with it?” His father asked with a very slight raise of his voice which Minghao knows too well. His father is annoyed by his lack of paying attention. How wonderful.

        “Uhh, I’m sorry what?” He was luckily saved from further scolding by his father when his step-mom giggled at him like someone just told her that Minghao was a very cute burrito.

        “Honey,” Minghao’s eyes widened a fraction at the endearment his step-mom used. That’s what his mother used to call him when he was a kid. Hao’s father also noticed and was caught off guard as well but aside from the both of them, nobody else seems affected.

        “I was actually planning for Junnie here to move with me in Seoul for good, since we’re going to be starting our new family here. The thing is, his own apartment’s still under renovation since he can be quite picky at times-“ Hao could hear Junhui whine childishly beside him and it may be rude but he really wants to stuff the other’s mouth with a table napkin right now.

        “-and I realized that instead of letting him stay in a different place alone for the mean time, how about you let him stay in your apartment?”

        …

        “I’m sorry…what?” Minghao could feel his insides screaming. He turned to look at Junhui and maybe his expression came out a bit too harsh because the other male visibly flinched on his seat under Hao’s gaze.

        “What about the mansion?” Hao suggested. No way is he gonna let a stranger – even though they’re already step brothers – into his apartment and worse, stay there.

        “The mansion will be empty for a month while we have our honeymoon in Ireland.”

        Mansion. Empty. Honeymoon. Ireland. Folks these are the last functional brain cells of Xu Minghao trying to comprehend.

        “Mom, it’s okay.” Everybody turned to look at Junhui when he spoke.

        “I could stay at Jisoo’s-“

        “Honey, I’ll be sending him back to China to handle the company there. We talked about this sweetie, remember?”

        “Oh.” Came the short and almost inaudible reply. Awkward silence followed.

        Junhui wanted to cry even though he wasn’t raised to be a crybaby. The way Hao looks at him with those piercing eyes is enough indication that their relationship as step brothers won’t go well. And what’s worse is he didn’t even know what he did wrong. He has been trying, for almost an hour now, to be at his best behavior around Xu Minghao. He had been careful with his words and actions like a damn cadet. What’s funny is he’s more intimidated at his step-brother than his step-father.  Junhui doesn’t know why, but everything about Hao’s appearance screams authority and power, and that one wrong move he’s gonna find himself being buried alive by the man himself. Hao has ‘that’ kind of effect on him.

 

 

        “I swear to god, he’s hot.”

        “Shut it, Kim Mingyu. That’s Hao’s step-brother you dimwit.” Soonyoung hissed beside him but Mingyu continued to ~~drool~~ stare at his best friend’s step-brother like he was a full-course meal waiting to be devoured.

        “So? Do they have to be unrelated before I could call the boy hot?” Soonyoung couldn’t help but slap his own forehead upon hearing the tall male’s words. Of all people he could find attractive tonight, it had to be Minghao’s step-brother.

        Mingyu smirked at his friend’s reaction. Stuffing four chunks of pineapples in his mouth, he continued to stare at Junhui from afar.

        “What a rare sight.”

        “You’re making me cringe.”

        “Stop acting like you’re hella straight man.” For the third time, Mingyu chokes on his pineapples when Soonyoung intentionally stepped on his foot from under the table.

 

 

 

        “After you.”

        “N-no, you go in first..i-it’s your place anyw---okay..” With his head bowed low to hide his reddening face, Junhui slowly entered Hao’s apartment with his suitcase in tow. Hao was holding the door open for him while giving him a very cold stare. Now that they’re alone he could glare at Junhui as much as he wants and he’s never gonna be sorry about it. As cruel as it may sound, he immediately took advantage of the fact that he can make the other male feel uneasy with just a cold look.

        The party ended with Hao being forced to agree on having Junhui stay at his place for a few days while their newlywed parents go and have the time of their lives overseas. The heavens know how much Hao wanted to say no, but he didn’t want to get into an unnecessary argument with his father. Plus, the happy look on his step-mom’s face was just too precious to ruin.

        “Ah!” The whole room fell quiet after Junhui shrieked because Minghao closed the door behind a bit harshly. With a raised eyebrow and an impressed look on his face, Hao watched as Junhui mumbled a quiet ‘sorry’ before proceeding to the living room with small but quick steps.

        “I have a spare room. It’s the gray door over there.” Minghao nodded his head to the direction of his guest room before proceeding to the kitchen to grab a glass of water coz boy he had a long night. And he swears five more minutes near Junhui and he might really do something unforgivable and irrational.

 

 

        “I swear I’m gonna die here!” As soon as he got inside the room, Junhui immediately called Jisoo who was currently at the airport waiting for his flight back to China and started ranting to him about how cold and intimidating Minghao is.

        “You’re exaggerating, Jun.” He could hear Jisoo sigh from the other line which caused him to whine childishly as he threw himself on the mattress.

        “I think he hates me. I’m not exaggerating. The way he looks at me…it’s like he wants to shoot a hole in my skull! I don’t think I’m gonna last a day here Jisoo, take me with you pleaaaaaaaseee!” Jisoo chuckled with a fond smile as he listened to Junhui express his feelings of discomfort towards his new step-brother. He also admits that the moment he saw Minghao when they were being introduced to the audience in the party earlier, the first thought that came to his mind was that Wen Junhui is doomed. Minghao looks too serious and strict, a very big contrast to Junhui’s totality. But despite that, Jisoo was determined to stay as Junhui’s optimistic friend because he knows that’s what the other male currently needs.

       “Don’t panic too much. That’s normal. You’ll get used to it and who knows? You two might even end up being close.”

       “I hate how you’re always so neutral.” Junhui mumbled on his phone which was answered by a hearty laugh from Jisoo. Somehow, hearing Jisoo laugh calmed him down a bit. The man always manages to lessen the impact of his problems by just being there for him when he needs him. To say Junhui is whipped for Hong Jisoo is very precise.

        They talked on the phone for a few more minutes before Jisoo bids his goodbye as he gets on his plane to fly back to China.

 

 

        “Kim fucking Mingyu I am not interested in his sleeping schedule thank you very much you can now go fuck yourself.” The call ended as soon as it had started when Mingyu asked Minghao if Junhui was already asleep out of the blue. He thought his friend called for a totally different and much more important reason but the guy only called him to ask about Junhui like he’s a damn babysitter.

        With a frustrated sigh, he puts his phone in the night stand and lay on his bed to stare blankly at the ceiling. He doesn’t feel like sleeping any time soon because his thoughts are filled with Junhui.

       “Why the fuck am I even thinking of that—aish!!!” Hao threw a pillow over his own head and groaned on it, making the noise sound muffled.

       He didn’t ask for all of this to happen nor did he deserve everything that is happening to him, in his opinion. He couldn’t recall a time where he went to a shrine to pray for a perfect step-brother to literally come waltzing into his life and threaten the success rates of his life goals which included inheriting Xu Electronics. He has to get rid of Junhui in a way, and he has to do it fast because his father likes Junhui too much already.

       And so the night passed with Minghao not getting enough sleep because he kept thinking about a certain person ~~with cat-like eyes and an adorable smile~~ who was currently inside the room next to his own and also stressing himself. Both of them have been trying to think of other stuff and just go to sleep like counting sheep and other farm animals but every time they tried, their thoughts just drifted back to each other.

 

 

      “What are you doing?”

      “G-good morning, M-Minghao.” That wasn’t the answer to his question but Minghao chose to let it slide as he approached Junhui with another cold look. The other male couldn’t help but take some steps back until his back hit the counter. Minghao stopped a foot away from him, which in Junhui’s opinion is close enough for his step-brother to grab him by the neck and choke him to death.

       They stayed like that for a few awkwardly silent seconds. Junhui’s heart was hammering against his chest and he couldn’t help but fiddle with the hem of his shirt because the tension between them was killing him.

       Upon realizing that Minghao wasn’t gonna open his mouth to say something anytime soon, Junhui forced himself to blurt out some words.

       “I made b-breakfast for us—I mean for y-you---I mean for m-me and..you…sorry.” Embarrassment was quick to devour him as he felt his cheeks starting to heat up. He decided to look down at his feet to avoid Minghao’s stare.

       “What are you being sorry for?”

       “For stuttering.”

       “For stuttering?” Minghao repeats with a scoff, a mischievous smile on his lips as he stares at Junhui in disbelief. Last night the other male held himself pretty well at the party and looked so overly confident with himself. Now he’s a stuttering mess in front of Minghao. The shift surprises him and he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle before walking past Junhui to sit on the dining table.

       However, the smile on his lips immediately faded when he saw everything Junhui has prepared for breakfast. It got worse when he took a bite of the pancakes.

       Because even in cooking, Junhui was good.

       “I-is it bad?” Junhui asked as soon as he noticed Hao staring into space with a big frown while slowly chewing his pancake.

       “Shut up.”

       “What-“

       “Listen here, Jun-hui,” Minghao suddenly turned to look at him straight in the eye, emphasizing the two syllables of his name. Junhui froze in his seat. Minghao looks too scary that he might actually cry.

       “If you think this innocent act you’re displaying fools me, you’re wrong. If you think I feel ecstatic letting you stay here, think again. If you think I want you as a step brother, you’re being dumb. I know you’re after dad’s company, that’s why you’ve been trying to get on his good side last night. Well I’m not having it. Xu Electronics is mine to inherit and I’m not gonna let the likes of you get in my way. Got it!?” Minghao finished with banging his fist on the table which literally made Junhui jump in his seat in utter shock.

       Upon seeing the look of horror in his face, Minghao raked his fingers through his hair and looked outside the window with a barely visible smirk on his lips. He was finally able to say it after a whole night spent in overthinking.

        “But Minghao,” Junhui’s tiny voice broke the silence.

        “What?” Minghao refused to look at him.

        “I’m not after Xu Electronics.” Minghao’s head could’ve separated from his body with how harshly he turned his neck to look at Junhui. The other male looked calmer now, a small smile was even decorating his lips as he looked at Hao straight in the eyes.

        “What?” Minghao asked again. He must’ve heard it wrong or something.

        “I don’t want to inherit your dad’s company. In fact I'm not really into business. My mom just wanted me to take up the course because of our company back in China...but we have Jisoo for that. S-she trusts him in handling the company more than me.” Junhui answered quietly, but it was loud enough for Minghao to hear and understand.

        Silence took over.  Junhui waited for Hao to say something. He really hopes that his revelation solved the problem and will ease up the tension between-

        “WHAT THE FUCK!? WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY IT SOONER!? I’VE BEEN RANTING LIKE AN IDIOT FOR NOTHING!” Junhui’s eyes widened at Hao’s outburst.

        “I-I—“

        “You know what!? Just shut up and eat your damn breakfast. I’m going out.” Minghao immediately stood up and went to his room to grab his phone, keys and a hoodie.  He’s too pissed at so many things, one of them was for staying up the whole night just to find out that he really didn’t have anything to worry about Junhui because he was actually not a competition. Another thing is despite the reassurance coming from his step-brother, he doesn’t know if his father thinks the same, which means he stayed up all night thinking of the wrong problem.

        Putting on his hoodie, he got out of his room and almost ran over Junhui who was standing outside the door.

        “Minghao I-“

        “I don’t wanna talk about it.” Minghao simply walked past him. He doesn’t wanna look at Junhui right now.

        “But Minghao-“

        “WHAT!?”

        “Y-your hoodie.”

        “WHAT ABOUT MY HOOD-“

        “IT’S JUST INSIDE OUT OKAY YOU DON’T NEED TO YELL I’M JUST TRYING TO HELP!” The glare he received made him stop and stare at Junhui blankly before his brain had finally processed what the other male just said.

        “Oh.”


	3. It Just Feels Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junhui takes the initiative to patch things up between him and Minghao.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. :)

“You have got to be kidding me.” Jihoon almost spit out his morning coffee when his boss entered the company building wearing a hoodie, sweat pants, and slippers. Minghao didn’t even spare him a glance and immediately went inside his own office, slamming the door behind him. Jihoon took it as his cue to make Minghao his usual morning coffee since in five seconds he’s gonna-

 

“LEE WHERE’S MY DAMN COFFEE!!??”

 

Rolling his eyes and keeping the profanities to himself, Jihoon gave a quick ‘okay’ as an answer before getting up from his own desk and going to the water dispenser to make his unusually grumpy boss some coffee. He was in the middle of stirring the caffeinated drink with a teaspoon when-

 

“LEE WHERE’S MY GODDAMN WALLET!!?? AND WHO THE FUCK CHANGED THE CURTAINS!!?? AND WHY IS MY CHAIR FACING THE OPPOSITE—”

 

“WHAT THE FUCK AM I!!??” Jihoon kicked the door of Minghao’s office open with a loud bang, barging in with a mug of coffee in one hand and viciously pointing the teaspoon at his boss with the other.

 

“YOUR FUCKING NANNY!!?? I DIDN’T SIGN UP FOR THIS BULL CRAP WHEN I BECAME YOUR SECRETARY YOU BRATTY LITTLE SHIT! SO DO ME A FUCKING FAVOR AND JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP, START ACTING PROFESSIONALINSTEAD OF COMING IN LATE WITH HIDEOUS BED HAIR AND YELLING RANDOM SHIT!!!”

 

“HEY WATCH IT YOU MIDGET!!!”Hao barely dodged the teaspoon Jihoon threw at him.

 

“YOU KNOW WHAT!? FUCK YOU!!!”

 

“FUCK YOU TOO!!! YOU’RE FIRED!!!”

 

“YOU DON’T EVEN OWN THE COMPANY, JERK! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN FIRE ME HUH?” Jihoon put his hands on his waist and raised a cocky eyebrow at Hao who opened his mouth to answer, but when the older male’s words sunk in he immediately closed his mouth and slumped into his seat, staring blankly at the city view outside his window.

 

Right, he couldn’t fire Jihoon because he is originally his father’s secretary in the first place.

 

He just got assigned to Minghao because his father once got so pleased about a business plan Minghao proposed to him which made him think Minghao finally deserves to take over the company since the plan worked perfectly after pushing it through. He put Minghao in Jihoon’s care so that the secretary could guide, orient and prepare him for the career he’s been aiming for: becoming the president pf Xu Electronics. But guess what? Jihoon hates his guts and the same goes for him. It’s probably because they have the same dominant personalities that they tend to compete at even the most senseless things just to see who’s better.

 

He is highly aware of how the older male could easily tell his father that he is not fit for the title ‘president’ and how his father might just immediately listen and agree because he trusts the secretary that much. And now with Junhui in the picture things just got worse, and he just got ten times more replaceable as an heir and as a son.

 

With these thoughts in mind(he’s mostly thinking about his step-brother tbh but no way in Milky Way Galaxy is he ever gonna admit that), he decided to ignore Jihoon and open his laptop to start working his ass off since it’s how he copes up with stress.

 

He heard Jihoon sigh and place the mug on his desk. The older male then took a seat at the chair on front of him, leaning in closer to ask,

 

“What happened boss?” There were surprisingly no traces of anger and sarcasm in his voice, just genuine concern. And at that, Minghao groaned aloud and started telling Jihoon about everything he kept bottled to himself, and the man attentively listened. Damn the paperwork, he needs to let some of these stressful emotions out of his system.

 

He hates Jihoon’s guts, but he can’t help admitting that just like his father, he trusts Lee Jihoon a whole damn lot.

 

 

 

 

Junhui sighed for probably the 20th time today already. He can’t believe he just yelled at his step-brother. Sure, the dude was being an ass since yesterday evening , but that didn’t immediately mean that he had to be one as well. He should’ve been more mature and acted more politely, since Minghao was now his family and the one who’s letting him stay over while their parents are away.

 

“I gotta apologize.” He muttered to himself after staring off into space.

 

“But how?” He asked himself, realizing he really didn’t know much about his step-brother yet to be able to come up with the proper apology. He considered just going up to Hao and giving him a small speech of apology, but the thing is for Wen Junhui’s standards, apologies like that are lame and inadequate. He likes being extra folks so let’s just-

 

“Yes, yes I’m in!” Wen Junhui shot up from the bed in utter surprise when he heard the main door open and close. He heard two male voices arguing accompanied by loud footsteps.

 

“Where!?”

 

“Keep it down you crackhead!” A slapping sound was heard which was immediately followed by a-

 

“MOTHERFFFF-THAT HURT LIKE A BITCH!!!”

 

“I said shut it!!! What if that Jumjee guy’s here??” Hissed the other voice.

 

“It’s Junhui you dumbass, you can’t even get Hao’s brother’s name right!”

 

“It’s because I’m not the one who has a big cru-“

 

“Oh shush!! Jihoon said it’s the gray—"

 

Junhui let out a little squeak when his door suddenly swung open and in came a familiar tall figure whom he immediately locked gazes with.

 

“—door.”

 

 

 

 

“I SAID DON’T OPEN THE GRAY DOOR YOU IMBECILE!!!” Lee Jihoon was beyond stressed at 9 am in the morning. Since he couldn’t leave his office, he asked Mingyu and Soonyoung to get Minghao’s wallet from his apartment instead since they’re both free today when he asked.

 

“Kim Mingyu he said it’s the white door you stupid little shit!” He hissed at his phone but got no answer. With an exasperated groan and a palm against his own forehead, he ended the call while deeming Hao’s best friends as worthless.

 

“Jihoon I need another coffee!” Hao called from inside his office and Jihoon couldn’t help but notice the slight gentleness in his voice when he gave out the order. It must’ve been their little heart-to-heart talk a few minutes ago.

 

With a small ‘okay’, he got up from his seat to make his boss some coffee.

 

 

 

 

“I’ll go get the wallet.” Soonyoung sighed when neither Junhui nor Mingyu decided to speak and just settled for a staring contest. Neither also acknowledged what he said as he left the room to proceed to the door next to it which he guesses is Minghao’s.

 

It’s not like they’ve never been in Hao’s apartment before, it’s just that they barely go here and usually end up crashing in Mingyu’s place. Minghao is not the type who easily opens up to people, and though the three of them have been inseparable since high school, Minghao sometimes still has his moments where he needs privacy, and they respect that.

 

He immediately found Minghao’s wallet in the nightstand and grabbed it. He then went back to the other room to see Mingyu shaking hands with Minghao’s step-brother…and he was pretty sure the guy’s name was Cheonli.

 

“Oh, by the way, this is Soonyoung. Soonnie, this is Junhui.”

 

_Oh, Junhui. Right._

 

“Nice meeting you, Soonyoung.” Junhui smiled at him politely, and Soonyoung could already tell why Mingyu likes the guy.

 

Junhui’s just too pretty and nice.

 

“Likewise.” They shook hands and after Soonyoung gave Mingyu Hao’s wallet they suddenly proceeded to the living room. Soonyoung is a bit confused because they’re supposed to proceed to Xu Electronics to give Hao his wallet as soon as they find it. But he finds himself sitting on the couch beside a very talkative Mingyu and in front of a slightly shy Junhui.

 

“How’s your stay here? Are you enjoying the place?” Mingyu asked but before Junhui could answer Soonyoung cut in.

 

“He’s been here for less than a day you knucklehead. He didn’t get to tour around the city yet.”

 

“Y-yeah, he’s right. I’ve never really been able to tour around Seoul. I’ve been here a few times but…it’s all purely business.”

 

“Oh, would you like us to tour you right now-“

 

“Wallet.” Soonyoung interrupts again, reminding Mingyu the real purpose why they came here.

 

“Oh, right. Wallet. Then how about next time? I can pick you up and we can plan-“

 

“That’s not really necessary. I mean, I-I don’t wanna bother you.” While Junhui is shyly scratching his nape, Soonyoung watches all of Mingyu’s uwus quietly pour out as he blushes furiously in his seat. He can’t really do anything about it, but Soonyoung could already picture out a scenario of how Minghao would react if he finds out, and it’s not such a pretty scene.

 

“But I’m…planning to g-go see him right now.”

 

“Really? We could go together then! We’re actually on our way to his office to give him his wallet since he forgot to bring it. You can tag along if you want.” _Kim Mingyu you little shit-_

 

“Is that okay with you?” Soonyoung almost wanted to groan but he held himself. He’s not mad at Junhui, no. He’s mad at Mingyu for being too obvious about his big fat crush. Soon enough Junhui would notice and by the looks of him, he might _politely_ turn Mingyu down and it would still hurt the big guy.

 

“Sure!” Mingyu’s smile was too bright and too different for Soonyoung’s liking. How could a person like someone so much this fast? He worries that one day that smile would disappear from the face of the Earth. He’s the type of friend who hates seeing his best friends miserable over love. He’s been there and it hurts like shit, so he just hopes Mingyu knows what he’s getting himself into before he dives in too deep.

 

 

 

 

“I, for sure, know that he loves coffee.” Mingyu beamed. They’re driving to Xu Electronics right now, and out of the blue Junhui suddenly asked about Hao’s preferences on things.

 

“He’s got a thing for expensive wines and photography.” Soonyoung added, and Junhui nodded in understanding. He looked out the window from where he sat in the passenger seat to Soonyoung’s dismay because it felt like Mingyu’s ending their friendship for Junhui. But he couldn’t bring himself to hate Minghao’s step-brother coz he is just too nice to despise. Plus, he has no idea about their traditional seat plan in the car so it’s okay.

 

Looking out the window, Junhui saw a coffee shop and immediately asked Mingyu to stop the car. He got off and Mingyu immediately followed while Soonyoung decided to stay in the backseat and glare at his best friend who even had that extra politeness in him to open the door for Junhui.

 

“He never opened doors for me and Hao.” Soonyoung rolled his eyes as he fished his phone out from his pocket and opened his Twitter account.

 

 

 

 

“What coffee does he like in particular?” Junhui asked Mingyu as they both looked up at the menu.”

 

“Anything, actually. He loves coffee that much.” Mingyu shrugged.

 

“What about Soonyoung?”

 

“What about him?” Mingyu didn’t mean to sound a bit harsh but he couldn’t help it. Why would Junhui suddenly ask about Soonyoung? Was he interested with him? Does he like-

 

“I want to buy coffee for the three of you, s-since you accompanied me and all.” Mingyu wanted to squeal like a lovestruck teenager right there but he held himself and just continued to stare at the cute person slightly blushing beside him. Mingyu deems him too precious for this world and boy he is smitten in the span of thirty minutes.

 

“Well, Soonyoung likes caramel macchiato a whole damn lot and as for me, I like french vanilla.” He received a tiny ‘okay’ before Junhui told the cashier his order which included three bagels and a slice of chocolate cake. After he paid for it, they occupied a table for two to wait for their takeouts.

 

“You’re Chinese right?” Mingyu asked and Junhui simply nodded with a small smile.

 

“How come you’re so fluent in Korean? If I didn’t know about your real nationality I’d conclude that you’re Korean.” Junhui smiled again.

 

“I have a…a friend. His name is Hong Jisoo, and he taught me how to speak Korean and a lot more things. H-he..he means a lot to me.” Junhui couldn’t help the heat rising in his cheeks while recalling the moments Jisoo taught him how to speak in Korean and all the other precious moments they had together. Scratching his nape out of embarrassment, he turned away from Mingyu. He wasn’t secretive about his true sexuality, but it’s still awkward when he has to implicitly reveal his preferences to people he just met.

 

Meanwhile Mingyu…

 

_Who the fuck is Hong Jisoo!?_

“Here’s your coffee.” Soonyoung almost dropped his phone when Mingyu shoved a coffee cup at his face. When he looked at his friend, the man looks like he wants to throw a truck at someone.

 

“I hope you like it, Soonyoung.” Junhui’s voice chimed in from the shotgun seat. He smiled at Soonyoung and the other male couldn’t help but smile back because it’s suddenly too hard to be rude to Wen Junhui.

 

“Thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome. Mingyu told me you like caramel macchiato.” Soonyoung was about to drink his coffee but when he heard what Junhui said, he stopped. When realisation dawned upon him, he turned to glare at his best friend who was already starting the car.

 

 _Fuck you, Kim Mingyu. Fuck you to the deepest pits of hell._ And just like that, Soonyoung’s morning was ruined, and Mingyu’s gonna pay for it soon.

 

 

 

 

Junhui was slightly fidgeting. They were currently on the elevator and nobody was trying to break the silence. Ever since they got out of the car, Mingyu started talking less and Soonyoung looks like he’s constipated in the backseat. He couldn’t help but be paranoid about it.

 

When the elevator stopped on the topmost floor, the got out and was then approached by a gorgeous lady.

 

“Good morning.” She greeted.

 

“We’re going to see Minghao.” Mingyu announced.

 

“Of course. Right this way sir.” She led the way to the edge of the hall where a glass door was located. She pushed it open and-

 

“What now!?” Junhui flinched when he saw a short guy approach them with a grumpy look on his face. The said guy didn’t wait for the woman to answer and immediately scanned them.

 

“Oh.” His eyes were glued to Junhui. He immediately scanned him from head to toe like he was a statue from a museum and Junhui couldn’t help but pull off his best stance like he’s auditioning for a modeling agency. The way the short male’s eyes looks at him is just too intimidating, though probably nothing comes close to his own step-brother.

 

“Minghao’s behind that door. No need to bother knocking. He doesn’t deserve it.” The shorter male’s smile was such contrast to his words and Junhui could already tell that despite the height, this guy can be dangerous. Better not get on his bad side.

 

“T-thank you.”

 

“I’m Jihoon by the way, Lee Jihoon. Nice to finally meet you Mr. Wen.” Jihoon held out his had for a handshake and Junhui took it.

 

“Likewise-“

 

“Jihoon.” Everybody turned to look at Soonyoung who was looking intently at Jihoon. The place suddenly turned quiet as the rest of them waited for what he had to say next.

 

“It’s good seeing you bro.” Soonyoung smiled.

 

“Yeah, bro.” Jihoon smiled as well.

 

“Let’s just get in already.” Mingyu rolled his eyes while unconsciously grabbing Junhui by the wrist and pulling him towards Minghao’s office.

 

“Surprise motherfucker!” Mingyu’s voice interrupted the silence of Minghao’s room as he lifted his head to glare at the guy. Upon seeing his grumpy face, Junhui couldn’t help but tremble a bit coz in his eyes Minghao has horns and a tail.

 

“What the fuck do you want?” He immediately went back to typing on his laptop after asking the question, and he didn’t even spare Junhui a glance.

 

“Heads up!” Junhui was in momentary awe as he watched how fast Minghao’s reflexes are when Mingyu threw his wallet at him which he immediately caught with one hand, his eyes never leaving the screen of his laptop and his other hand still typing. It reminds Junhui of those cool action movies where the protagonist coolly catches car keys being thrown at him without even bothering to look.

 

“Thanks. You can go now.”

 

“Aren’t you even gonna say hi to Junhui?” At that, Minghao stopped typing. His head shot up and their eyes met, and Mingyu took it as his cue to exit, leaving the step-brothers to interact in privacy.

 

“Hello, Minghao.” Junhui smiled kindly at him, and Minghao would be lying if he’d say it isn’t cute at all. What’s he being cute for anyway?

 

“What are you doing here?” As soon as the question left his mouth his thoughts ran wild. What if Junhui wasn’t here for him but was simply checking on the company? The company he wants and deserves, the company which made him give up his own dreams for? What if Junhui was here to grab the president’s title from him?? (Remember how the both of them didn’t get enough sleep? This is the result, Minghao’s being too paranoid.)

 

“I bought you coffee.” Junhui lifted the plastic bag before approaching and placing it on Minghao’s desk. With a raised eyebrow Minghao opened it and took out the coffee. Its aroma immediately filled the room. It’s iced americano which is coincidentally Minghao’s personal favourite. And though he already had two batches of coffee this morning he wouldn’t mind having another one. How did Junhui even know he likes iced americano?

 

“There’s bagels and cake too. I hope you like them.”Bagels? Minghao likes bagels. How did Junhui even know about that as well?

 

“Look, Minghao.” Minghao lifted his eyes to see Junhui looking down at the floor while cutely tugging at the sleeves of his sweater. He wore a sweater on his way here, and Minghao couldn’t help but be surprised. He was kind of expecting something more formal. But he’s not at all complaining because Junhui looks too cute and innocent in this outfit that he could just stare and coo at him all day—okay enough.

 

“I’m really sorry I yelled at you back at the apartment. It was my fault. I-I wasn’t really mad, I-I was just a bit upset because…b-because you look and..and act like you don’t want me as your step-brother. I-I’ve never really had a brother so I d-don’t know how to act with one. And about the company, I really don’t want anything to do with it. I just want my mom to be happy because my dad-my real dad, never made her smile genuinely in all the years they’ve been together. Th-their relationship was toxic to the point where they had to call for an annulment. I-I thought mom was never gonna be truly…truly happy again. But when she met you dad , when sh-she started smiling those genuine smiles again, i-it gave me hope, you know? Hope that she could finally have the kind of family she wants and deserves. I-I mean my point is, my point is that…I really just want what’s best for my mom. I’m not after the company, and I never will because I don’t deserve it.”

 

To say it was awkward afterwards was an understatement. What does Minghao have to say to that? Surely enough an ‘okay’ would never suffice-

 

“Okay.” Folks, Minghao is an idiot.

 

Junhui looked up and their eyes met. Minghao was caught off guard when he saw the unshed tears threatening to fall any moment from the other male’s eyes. He swiftly got up from his seat and approached Junhui, standing exactly two feet away from him. He immediately cleared his throat and spoke,

 

“I mean, it’s okay. Thank you for bringing me the coffee and bagels. And I’m also sorry for being an ass back at the apartment. You didn’t deserve it. We’re family now and we have to stick togeth-“

 

“Thank you HaoHao!” Minghao’s brain short circuited both from the nickname Junhui clearly made up and from the very tight hug the guy gave him.

 

He got a good whiff of Junhui’s scent and he’s not gonna lie, Junhui smells nice. He found himself hugging Junhui back, and he’s actually enjoying-

 

“Okay okay that’s enough. No need to be so dramatic.” He pushed Junhui away and cleared his throat. Suddenly it was too awkward for him. And why did he even hug Junhui back? That was a stupid move.

 

“Sorry.” Junhui smiled, and he doesn’t look sorry at all which caused Minghao to furrow his brows.

 

“It just feels good to finally have a brother.”


	4. Already Embarrassing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minghao is feeling new things around Junhui and he's panicking too much about it. Junhui's still a sweetheart. Nahh just read it :"))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks sorry it took long to update, school's been beating me black and blue these days lol.

“Welcome home, HaoHao! I—”

 

“Good night.” Minghao answered nonchalantly, walked past his beaming step-brother like he was nothing more than thin air and went inside his bedroom, locking the door behind him. Needless to say, the big smile Junhui was showing off earlier turned into a look of hurt and disappointment. He slumped back into the couch he’s been sitting on for two straight hours waiting for his step-brother to come home, only to ignore him like he’s just another piece of furniture in this apartment.

 

“I…I made you dinner.” Came out the soft and sad whisper from his lips before he pulled his legs against his chest and hugged himself into a ball while lowering his head against his knees.

 

It’s been two weeks, and his relationship with Minghao made no progress at all. He thought when he brought the other male  some coffee, bagels and an explanation, Minghao would start accepting and treating him as a brother. But Minghao just got colder and avoided Junhui as much as he can to the other male’s dismay. Whenever Junhui got the chance to corner him and start a friendly conversation, he’d always make up an excuse to leave, either going to his office or locking himself in his own room. It’s been going on like that for two weeks already and Junhui’s almost had enough of it. He doesn’t understand why Minghao is treating him this way despite all of his efforts.

 

He was startled when his phone started ringing on his pocket. He would’ve dozed off in that position if the device didn’t ring. Fishing it out from his pocket, he looked at the caller ID and his eyes widened a fraction in surprise upon seeing who was calling. Pushing a hesitant thumb on the answer button, he brought the phone up to his ear and took a deep breath before forcing his voice to come out as lively as possible.

 

“Hey mom! You called!” The Mandarin words came out naturally from his tongue. And he even almost fooled himself into believing he was genuinely happy. _Almost_.

 

(Junhui darling! I miss you so much!) He couldn’t help the small smile creeping up his lips as soon as he heard his mother’s euphoric tone. Well at least his mother is happy, because when she’s happy he’s going to be happy for her as well. There is nothing else in the world that matters most to him than knowing that his mother—

 

(How are you and Minghao doing over there? We both miss our precious angels!) A deep chuckle could be heard from the other line—it was Minghao’s father. Upon hearing the question, Junhui started scratching his nape. He doesn’t wanna be dishonest but—

 

“We’re fine mom. Minghao’s fine. In fact, he’s doing pretty well in handling their company while dad is away. And we’re getting along quite well.” The giddy giggles of his mother from the other line was like a punch to his gut. Junhui wasn’t used to lying and now the resulting guilt after committing it is eating him alive. Biting at his bottom lip and crossing his fingers like how a child would when lying, he continued with the façade that he’s completely fine and happy as their conversation went on.

 

He had to lie every time his mother managed to insert his step-brother into their conversation, and every lie felt bitter on his tongue. It just feels so wrong lying to someone who’s asking you an honest question and anticipating an honest answer. But Junhui had no choice. As much as he wanted to express his misery during the two weeks he has stayed in Minghao’s apartment, he knows that he has no right to ruin their parents’ honeymoon trip. That would be too selfish of him.

 

“We’ll be back in the next three weeks—”

 

“Wait, three? But I thought you’re just gonna be away for a month?” Junhui couldn’t avoid sounding so distressed. He already conditioned himself to wait two weeks more before all this misery will be over and he will finally have an apartment for himself. But to add another week? It’s manageable but it proves to be too much for Junhui.

 

“Ireland is such a lovely place honey, and your father and I want us to stay here for a bit longer. I know you’d understand, darling..” and the unnecessarily emotional explanation went on. During the whole thing Junhui couldn’t keep the frown from showing as he listened to his mother’s happy voice from the other end of the call. And when the call ended, his very deep sigh filled the silence.

 

Staring at his phone’s wallpaper which was himself on a cat onesie while posing adorably for the camera, he remembered the person who gave it to him during Christmas about two years ago and decided to dial that person’s number. It took a few rings before the person answered with a gentle ‘hello’ and Junhui couldn’t even bother to hide his shit eating grin as his cheeks started to heat up like he’s  a typical high school girl who just received an invitation to prom by the school’s ultimate dream guy.

 

“Jisoo.” He sighed the name softly, earning him a soft chuckle from the guy in the other line.

 

 

 

 

It wasn’t the right moment to feel parched. He didn’t want to leave his room, but he has to because his throat is currently feeling drier than the Sahara desert. Aside from conducting four different meetings today and arguing with Jihoon in his office after the last one, he also used the stairs on his way up to his apartment because he didn’t really want to get here immediately. Not when he knows Junhui will be greeting him with that adorable smile of his as soon as he enters the threshold.

 

He tells himself that he still hates Junhui despite the other male clarifying things up for him two weeks ago. He still hates him despite that. Only this time, it’s for a whole different reason.

 

 _Junhui is just too damn nice to him_ and he doesn’t know how to properly react to that, so he ends up with the stupid conclusion that he hates the other male. It’s not like no one’s ever treated him this nicely before, because Xu Minghao is the type of person that a lot of people would do anything for just to earn his approval. It’s just that Junhui is different because first of all he’s his step-brother and second of all step-brothers aren’t exactly supposed to be attractive, kind and distracting as fuck. So he ends up doing what he deems is the best solution for it: avoiding Junhui at all costs.

 

Mingyu’s words suddenly came into his mind.

 

_Xu Minghao, you lucky bastard._

 

“I think the fuck not.” Giving up with an exasperated groan, Minghao got up from his bed and exited his room to get to the kitchen. During the whole process he tried to be as quiet as possible especially when he saw dark brown hair by the living room and  heard soft giggles. Luckily enough, Minghao made it to the kitchen unheard, but the sight that greeted him made his celebration short-lived.

 

Junhui made dinner for two. To make things more accurate, Junhui made a _fancy_ dinner for two. There were different dishes on the table, and though Minghao’s not a food expert or anything of the sort he knows a lot of effort has been put to prepare everything.

 

The sight made him feel like shit.

 

Sighing rather heavily, he proceeded to the fridge and got himself a glass of water. As he drank it he was staring at the table while his mind screamed at him for being such an asshole.

 

“Minghao?”

 

“Pfft—”

 

“Waaaaaa I’m so sorry!” In a matter of two seconds Junhui was all over him with a washcloth that Minghao has no idea where he got from. He was wiping Minghao’s chin and neck because he accidentally spit the water he was drinking when Junhui called his name. Smooth.

 

“I’m really sorry. Go sit on the chair for a while please.” Minghao doesn’t understand why he let himself get dragged by Junhui to sit on a chair. He also doesn’t understand why Junhui started to crouch to where he was standing earlier, but when he looked at what the other male was busy with, Junhui was picking up glass shards with his bare hands. Oh, he dropped the glass.

 

For the second time tonight, Minghao feels like shit.

 

“I’ll do it.” In a matter of two seconds too, Minghao was already crouched next to Junhui, gently pushing his hands away from the shards. Junhui, as if electrified by the touch, pulled his hands away from Minghao while looking at him with shocked innocent eyes.

 

“But…y-you’ll get hurt-“

 

“And you won’t?” Rolling his eyes, Minghao took over with the cleaning, picked up every broken glass he spotted and threw them in the trash bin. Junhui just watched him silently during the whole process. He looks like he wants to say something but chose not to make a sound.

 

As soon as Minghao was done with the task, he turned to face Junhui, their eyes meeting for a second before they both looked away in awkwardness. While Minghao’s mind was screaming at him to _do something you pathetic trash,_ Junhui was trying to decide wether he should go back to the living room or run to his room because he feels like Minghao is looking at him like he could swallow him whole without batting an eyelash.

 

“You made dinner.” The flinch was too visible, and Junhui wishes for the floor to crack open and devour him. He’s so intimidated at Minghao that even the other male’s voice has too much impact on him. He doesn’t understand how Minghao manages to make him feel these things.

 

“I-I did—I mean, y-yes.” Scratching his nape, Junhui kept his eyes on the floor. It was getting very _very_ awkward, and he feels very uncomfortable. He wishes for Minghao to just leave or tell him to leave because—

 

“Let’s eat then.”

 

 

 

 

“You clearly cheated!”

 

“I did not!”

 

Junhui’s lips formed into a childish pout upon being accused of cheating in chess. He gave Minghao a mischievous glare as the other male started rearranging the chess pieces for round two.

 

“Yes you did.” Minghao teased. There was a little smile tugging at his lips and he couldn’t help it. Who would’ve known that his step-brother would make such good company?

 

They’re currently in the living room sitting on the carpeted floor with a chess board between them. And as if Junhui’s _fancy_ dinner for two wasn’t enough, they had pizza delivered about thirty minutes ago. The box now lies half empty on the center table, along with half full soda cans and used tissues.

 

It was all Junhui’s idea. Well actually, it started as a small talk in the dining room which was way too awkward at first. It was only until Minghao told Junhui that he had some rice on his right cheek did the atmosphere between them lighten up, because Junhui choked on some lettuce while stuttering out an apology as if having rice on your face around Xu Minghao was a crime. Minghao had a good laugh at that, and Junhui laughed along. And just like that, the tension between them was gone. Junhui was surprisingly very easy to get along with, and Minghao was surprisingly opening up too fast on him.

 

“I swear, I did not cheat.” The pout remained on Junhui’s lips as he helped Minghao set the chess pieces in place and taking his first move.

 

“I don’t cheat.” He added while resting his chin on one hand while keeping his eyes on the board attentively.

 

“That must be boring.” Minghao shrugged, grabbing a pawn for his turn, eyes also glued to the game. He’s not gonna lose this time, he’s gonna make sure of that.

 

“What?” The confusion in Junhui’s voice was evident, and Minghao couldn’t help but smirk and shake his head.

 

“Not cheating, not breaking the rules, not being reprimanded for it. That’s boring as hell. Rules and laws are boring as hell.” Minghao’s mind went back to some of his high school memories. Most of them were spent with Mingyu and Soonyoung, and though he was an excellent student he also made bad records for himself which his father knows nothing about.

 

“But cheating is bad, Minghao.”

 

“God, you sound like a three year old.”

 

“Excuse me!? I’m a full-grown man—”

 

“With the mind of a three year old—”

 

“Yah!!!” A white knight chess piece was thrown at his chest, and Minghao burst into a fit of laughter. It wasn’t really that funny if you’d ask him, but the scandalized look on Junhui’s face was priceless and definitely worth it.

 

“Go ahead, laugh all you want! I’m gonna whoop your ass the second time!” With fists against his waist, Junhui tried to focus more on the game, eyebrows knit together and bottom lip being chewed. Minghao finds the sight too cute for him to handle—

 

“Fuck.”

 

“What?”

 

“N-nothing.” Running his fingers through his hair, Minghao let out an airy chuckle which honestly sounded like a horse gasping for air. He seriously needs to organize his thoughts around Junhui. _That’s your step-brother you dimwit—_

“Minghao.”

 

“What?”

 

“Stop staring. It’s your turn.” Minghao lets out an ‘oh’ before aimlessly grabbing a piece and putting it right in front of Junhui’s knight chess piece. Needless to say, his piece was taken. Junhui burst into giggles upon having the upper hand in the game and seeing Minghao slightly flustered for being caught staring.

 

 

 

 

“Tell me about your—about our dad I mean.” Minghao finds himself sitting on the couch with Junhui’s head lying comfortably in his lap. He, surprisingly in his opinion, lost the second game, earning him a five-second victory dance from Junhui which was way too dorky but still cute in its own way. Neither called for a rematch, so they agreed to watching whatever show’s being aired on the television. Turns out it was a boring cooking show with old people hosting it, and five minutes later Junhui suddenly decided to lie on Minghao’s lap without even asking for permission. He was about to protest but Junhui yawned and sort of purred, he fuckin’ purred like a fuckin’ cat as he settled into a more comfortable position, so in the end Minghao just let him be.

 

He’s surprisingly being too tolerant with Junhui. This is so unlike him. Even Mingyu would still have to beg just to lie on his lap, which occurred on only too few occasions despite their very close friendship.

 

Keeping his eyes on the tv screen, he feels Junhui playing with the hem of his shirt, just like a child. _Exactly_ like a child.

“He’s cold. Strict. Demanding. Strong. Opinionated—”

 

“Do you usually describe people like you’re Wall-E?”

 

“Who the fuck’s Molly?”

 

“It’s Wall-E. He’s a cute robot.”

 

“Junhui, are you saying I’m cute?”

 

“Yah! The robot okay, the robot!” Junhui laughed and Minghao laughed along. Laughing never felt so easy with people who weren’t Mingyu and Soonyoung until now. There’s just something about Junhui that makes him loosen up and just be himself. He’s as comfortable with him as he is with Mingyu and Soonyoung, to think that he only knew Junhui for about two weeks. Junhui’s a great companion, and Minghao regrets the two weeks he wasted trying to avoid him and being a total jerk.

 

“Tell me more.”

 

“What?”

 

“About our dad.” Junhui urged him to continue , still tugging at the hem of his shirt and playing with it. Right now he honestly looks like an infant learning how to use his fingers for the first time.

 

“There’s not much to tell.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Could you stop asking?”

 

“Why?”

 

“Wow, you’re stupid.”

 

“What?”

 

“You’re an idiot.”

 

“What did I do this time!?”

 

“You asked when I told you to stop asking.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Just shut up. And stop tugging my shirt it’s annoying. And get off me. You’re starting to feel too privileged.” Shaking his thighs intentionally, Junhui whined before getting up and sitting beside Minghao, ruffling his own hair.

 

“I was just asking.” Another pout. Minghao could see it from his peripheral. Rolling his eyes, he decided to ignore the other male while grabbing the remote and switching to another channel.

 

 

 

 

“Shh!” Minghao raised his eyebrows.

 

“How the heck did you get in?” He asked Mingyu who was crouching beside Junhui who was sleeping peacefully on the couch and staring at him like a typical creepy stalker. Adjusting the towel on his hips, Minghao approached his best friend while giving him a questioning look.

 

“We used a thing called a door which is pretty effective in getting into apartments.” Soonyoung made his presence known, entering the living room from the kitchen where he was helping himself with a bag of chips from Minghao’s fridge.

 

“Shh!” Mingyu repeated when Soonyoung was chewing on the chips way too loud. Both Minghao and Soonyoung raised their brows at Mingyu who went back to staring at Junhui’s sleeping face dreamily.

 

“He’s so pretty.” He sighed, his breath fanning at Junhui’s hair. The sight made the other two males cringe because Kim Mingyu was being gay and sappy as hell.

 

“Get off him or you’ll kill him with your bad breath.” Minghao grabs him by the collar of his shirt and pulls him away from his sleeping step-brother. Mingyu choked on the process and gave Minghao a sharp glare while massaging his own throat.

 

“Why are you guys here anyway?” Minghao turned to Soonyoung, deeming the other male more sensible to talk to than Mingyu. Soonyoung shrugged before throwing another chip on his mouth, munching loudly just to piss Mingyu off.

 

“We just miss you.” Okay, neither of them were sensible.

 

“Well fuck you. Get out.” Minghao walked past Soonyoung and went to the kitchen to make his usual morning coffee. He could hear Soonyoung snickering while still munching loudly on those damn chips. Rolling his eyes, he tried to focus more on the task at hand.

 

“Don’t tell Junhui, but I took a few pictures.” Mingyu was suddenly standing beside him with a very wide and happy grin that could almost compete with a Cheshire cat’s. His eyes were glued to his phone as he swipes from one photo of Minghao’s sleeping step-brother to another.

 

“Dude what the fuck!” Minghao hissed, swiftly grabbing the phone from Mingyu and deleting every picture of Junhui in his gallery in the span of fifteen seconds.

 

“That’s creepy as fuck and I rather you don’t do that to my brother.”

 

“Wow.” Soonyoung suddenly appeared on his other side, still munching loudly on those damn chips.

 

“What?” Minghao asked, kind of annoyed. Though they’re his best friends he didn’t remember asking the heavens to have them show up in his apartment at ass o’clock in the morning. They’re great company, but there are times such as these when he prefers the quiet—

 

“You just called him your brother.” Soonyoung grinned, shoving more chips into his mouth that some of the bits are already falling on the floor. Minghao’s gonna have to sweep his mess later and just thinking about it already frustrates him but—

 

“What about it?” He asked, trying to sound uninterested as he added sugar to his coffee.

 

“I thought you hate him.” Mingyu answered for Soonyoung, and Minghao could feel their prying eyes on him. He suddenly feels uncomfortable with the current topic.

 

“I never said that.”

 

“But you certainly acted like you despise the guy. What made you change you mind?” Minghao felt an arm being draped over his shoulder. Soonyoung’s perfume clouded his senses and he immediately shrugged the other male’s arm off him while giving him an annoyed look. He then proceeded to sit by the counter and started drinking his coffee. He doesn’t really mind his tongue being scalded by hot water, he’s used to it and he likes his morning coffee hot as hell when he drinks it. It helps him wake the rest of his sleeping muscles (what am I even saying-).

 

“It doesn’t concern you.” Looking out the window, Minghao didn’t try to think too much about it. He knows that the answer is because Junhui has a certain effect on him which is too intense and surprising on so many unexplainable levels, but he’s not gonna risk saying that out loud.

 

And he knows he made the right decision because seconds later Junhui made his presence known, greeting them a good morning while smiling sleepily and rubbing his eyes. Bed hair actually looks good on him, Minghao thought before shaking his head furiously and looking outside the window again.

 

His thoughts alone are already embarrassing as fuck, and for sure it’s gonna be more embarrassing if they turn into words. So throughout the whole morning he just stayed quiet, watching his three companions interact, eyes lingering longer on the soft-looking person who just whooped his ass twice on chess last night.

 

 


	5. Fuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minghao just wanted some solitude to focus on work but life won't let him have it.

When Minghao was eight, his father bought him books about business management, expecting his young mind to comprehend the complex lessons and prepare him for the high possibility of taking over the company when he grows up. It was at that time when Minghao rebelled against his own father for the first time, ripping the books apart in immature defiance while screaming that he doesn’t wanna be a lame office worker but a world-class dancer. It was also at that moment when Minghao earned a harsh slap on his right cheek for the first time from his own father. The blow stung like a bitch, not just physically but emotionally, and he cried the pain out for days while locking himself inside his closet. And just like a typically innocent child, he thought it was the end of the world, until his father came knocking from outside his closet and offered him some ice cream with a tone so calming that it made him cry out loud. He got out of the small confinement, hugging his father and muttering strings of apologies for being such a bad kid. His father forgave him then, but still bought him the same set of textbooks he tore. Minghao promised to learn, not wanting to disappoint his expectant father the second time around.

When Minghao was thirteen, Soonyoung taught him the art of keeping secrets from his father. The other male helped him sneak out of their mansion to go and rent a dance studio for a few hours where they got to dance their hearts out as if it were their last days on Earth. Minghao never got caught, and as time passed by he mastered both the arts of dancing and keeping secrets or as he would like to put it, _lying like a pro_. He studied by the day and danced by the night. Sometimes Soonyoung wasn’t there to tag along so he either brought Mingyu to watch and cheer for him or went to the dance studio alone. His father never found out, probably thinking that his son was always away because he’s with his friends or doing school work.

When Minghao was fifteen, he heard people talk behind his back for the first time. It was at a comfort room at school, and four boys were groaning their hearts out in jealousy about how fortunate Minghao was for being the one and only heir of Xu Electronics. All of them wished the same thing: to be in Minghao’s place. It wasn’t like becoming a Xu Minghao was perfect, but hearing other kids envy him for his status boosted his ego. He stayed inside the cubicle he was in, choosing to listen more to his classmates talk about all of the things they know and _think_ they know about him, feeding his self-confidence to the point of arrogance. He then saw his current situation as an advantage, and he started using that advantage in every chance he got.

When Minghao pursued a business management course, he never let go of dancing. He made his father believe that he was focusing on the career path the man has planned out for him, when in fact he’s dividing his time between learning how to constructively manage a business and how to master his back flips and crumping. It wasn’t easy, but Minghao managed.

Minghao managed well until his father decided to give him proper training before taking over the company, letting him take part in business meetings and participate in important business gatherings. Everyone who knew him knew that Xu Minghao was gonna inherit the title ‘president’ sooner or later.

“President Xu Minghao. It has a nice ring to it.”

“Of course it does.” Minghao couldn’t keep the smug smile from showing. Junhui grinned in return as he continued to stare at Minghao while he’s working on his desk. He had his arms folded against the desk and his chin resting on top of as he looked up at his step-brother with adoring eyes.

 _Minghao looks so cool when he works_.  It’s like Junhui could see all the dedication and determination pour out from his step-brother as he typed away on his laptop. Junhui feels proud of Minghao and if only he wasn’t already comfortable while leaning on the desk he would’ve reached out and patted Minghao’s head endearingly and told him that he’s doing quite a great job. He wished he had Minghao’s passion when it comes to business because he is quite aware of how hard it has been for his mother to let Jisoo handle their company because he personally didn’t want to. Though his mother said nothing about it, Junhui knows that she’s just trying to hide her disappointment because she loves him too much. She trusts Jisoo, but unlike Junhui, that trust only extends to a certain length. Jisoo’s _not_ family, just a family friend. Junhui completely understands that but he’d rather have the other male handle the company than let it crumble in his hands.

 _Minghao is amazing_. Junhui sighs as he continues to watch Minghao in genuine admiration, and though Minghao is doing quite well in pretending not to notice, he’s suddenly too conscious on how his step-brother looks at him, accompanied by the fact that they’re alone in his office and it’s awfully quiet and—

“ANNYEONGHASEYOOO!!!”

“WHAT THE FUCK—“

“SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKAHH!!!” Before Minghao could dodge, Mingyu already had a heavy arm draped around him with that ridiculously annoying grin plastered on his face. He let out a rather distressed groan, because he knows exactly why Mingyu came over. The fucker just wants to see his step-brother and flirt with him because he knows Junhui will be here, and he’s using the best friend card to his advantage.

It’s annoying as fuck. He has work to do and having to deal with Junhui visiting him in his office almost every day to be the perfect distraction is already enough load for him to take. He doesn’t need Mingyu to be a total idiot right now and disturb his whole work with his existence because he’s currently working on a new project that he’s going to present to his father as soon as their parents come back from their honeymoon in Ireland. He knows that this project is gonna be his major breakthrough, and he actually needs some alone time to be able to focus on it. That won’t happen as long as Junhui and Mingyu—

_Oh._

"I actually have an idea.” Both males were interrupted in their small chat and turned their attentions to Minghao who could barely keep himself from grinning. Luckily his self control was feeling a bit cooperative so he somehow managed to keep a calm and not so creepy look.

“What?” Mingyu asked.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll love it.” It’s either neither Junhui nor Mingyu noticed his sarcastic tone or he didn’t sound sarcastic at all, because both men continued to look at him with obvious curiosity that he almost wanted to slap his own forehead because it’s like he’s interacting with two dumb toddlers at the moment who are both wide-eyed and expectant.

“Why don’t you guys go out on a _friendly_ date?”

“What?” Junhui furrowed his brows.

“Oh.” Mingyu was stunned because is Minghao really giving him permission to take his step-brother out? He honestly thought he still had to offer some weird prayers to the stars and dance on hilltops before his best friend would actually grant him such privilege because it’s already been weeks. Turning to look at Junhui, he suddenly couldn’t contain the happiness in his chest. It’s no secret that he likes Minghao’s step-brother ever since the first time he saw him and he’s definitely not going to miss this golden of an opportunity to take the pretty man out on a date, despite it being just a friendly date. He’d like to get to know more about the Chinese guy, he’d like to spend times with Junhui without a Xu Minghao emanating some dark and murderous aura within a one-meter radius because it’s actually creepy as fuck.

“A friendly date?” Junhui’s Korean had a different accent which anyone could immediately point out as soon as he speaks, but Mingyu finds it cute. Everything about Junhui is cute and endearing to him, and it would take a bald and toothless Minghao to change his mind.

“Exactly. So why don’t you two run along—“Minghao grabs both their wrists and leads them to his door. Junhui followed with a slightly confused look on his face, and Mingyu was grinning like a mad man on his other side that he didn’t need to look in order to know because the man is just too fuckin’ obvious.

“—go explore Seoul’s best tourist attractions and just enjoy each other’s company? I have work and I honestly need some solitude right now. Goodbye.”

“But Hao—“ Junhui turns around to find a door being slammed shut against his face. Silence followed. Suddenly there was a weird noise on his left and when Junhui turned to look, it was Jihoon, Minghao’s secretary, sipping loudly on some coffee from a big white mug while looking at him with eyes that give off hints of curiosity and prejudice. Junhui feels uncomfortable under the other male’s gaze but he tried hard not to be so obvious about it.

“U-uh, good morning.” Junhui greeted him for the second time today, the first one was when he arrived about an hour ago. He feels like an idiot. Who greets a person good morning twice in the same day anyway? Definitely not him, it’s just that he doesn’t know what else to say to Minghao’s secretary right now because Jihoon looks like he’s not the conversational type.

“You already said that twice.” Junhui wanted to pout and vanish but instead, his lip simply twitched at the reply. He was embarrassed, and he did what he deemed was best at the moment: he grabbed Mingyu by the wrist, gave Jihoon a quick bow and dragged the taller male with him as they left the building. Mingyu couldn’t help smiling widely, Junhui’s hand felt so soft against his skin that he wants the other male to touch him more—

 _No no no. Keep it together you shit._ Mingyu willed the somehow wild thoughts away by shaking his head. When they reached the parking lot he offered for them to use his car since it’s more convenient and because he’s the one who’s supposed to show Junhui around Seoul, and Junhui silently agreed as he let go of Mingyu’s wrist upon being aware of how close they’ve been when they halted to a stop in front of Mingyu’s car.  Muttering a silent apology, he helped himself to the shotgun seat, and they drove away in silence. But Mingyu couldn’t be happier.

 

 

They ended up in yet another coffee shop, because the rain suddenly started to pour─ much to their disappointment. But to Mingyu it was still a win-win situation, because he gets to stare at Junhui looking out the window with a calm expression on his face that just looks so breathtaking.

Everything about Junhui simply fits Mingyu’s standards of an ideal person. Tall, beautiful, has a pleasing personality and oozing with damn sex appeal. He couldn’t help but fall for the other male’s charms more and more despite Soonyoung warning him about it a few days ago. His best friend came to his apartment, inviting him to go outside for dinner which he blindly agreed to. That was when Soonyoung decided to give him _the talk_. The other male pointed out his weakness for pretty good boys and though he tried to defend his side, Soonyoung was undeniably right.

“Seoul looks good in rain.” Mingyu was pulled out from his thoughts when Junhui suddenly talked.

“Uh, yes. Rain is good.” Junhui giggled at his answer, and Gyu’s fists were already clenching so hard at his sides. He wants to coo at Junhui so bad, pinch his cheeks so hard and just bask in his cuteness. Right now he cannot find any logical explanation to what he’s currently feeling and experiencing.

“Most people would associate rain with grief and sadness.”

“Ching-chong what?” Junhui laughed so loud at Mingyu’s bewildered look that some of the customers turned to look at their direction. He hadn’t noticed that he slipped into his mother tongue when he spoke. He must’ve sounded so weird for Mingyu who doesn’t speak Chinese, just like how Korean sounds so strange to him even until now.

“Nothing.” He smiled and took a sip at the hot chocolate that Mingyu bought him after a short argument on who gets to buy and  pay everything back at the counter.

Short silence took over before Mingyu's eyes widened momentarily in realization of what he just said. He panics in his seat for a bit and calls out the other male's name and Junhui looks up a bit cutiously to him from where he's sipping his hot coffee.

"I'm sorry about the...uhh, ching-chong part." Mingyu stutters a bit and mentally curses himself for letting his mouth run without a filter. He really just went in there and said that phrase in front of a breathtakingly beautiful Chinese man. Needless to say, he feels like a good combination of an asshole and an idiot. 

However, before he could go and loathe himself more for throwing in such a bad statement, Junhui just laughed it off like it was nothing, saying it was 'completely okay for him' and that he 'totally understands'. And when Mingyu gives him a look of hesitation he proceeds to giggling and brushing everything off completely while smiling at the taller male like a good ray of sunshine.

Soon enough, Mingyu lets the issue go and they're back to a normal conversation flow. Junhui, if he were to be honest, is definitely enjoying the experience even if he didn't get to tour around the city because of the rain.

Mingyu makes good company. He talks a lot, but not to the point of annoying. Well, maybe Minghao finds him annoying based on his pissed off reactions whenever the tall male is around, but Junhui doesn’t. He has a good sense of humor and is easy to get along with.

They continued to talk more about random stuff, mostly about what they do and their preferences on things. Junhui realizes they have a lot of things in common, and maybe that’s why Mingyu isn’t so hard to get along with.

“I’m really sorry I can’t take you anywhere else but here, I really want─”

“It’s okay, Mingyu.” Jun smiled at him so blindingly bright that Mingyu swears Junhui almost unknowingly knocked the air off his lungs. Just three words and his heart is already break dancing in his ribcage.

_Wen Junhui, what are you doing to me?_

“Where’s Mingyu?” Minghao almost threw his laptop at Soonyoung who came barging into his office like he owns the whole place. Jihoon followed behind him, giving Minghao a look that says ‘he insisted’. Minghao pinched the bridge of his nose. He’s not in the mood to deal with anyone and anything that isn’t associated with his current project right now. Maybe next time he needs to orient Jihoon or the entrance security guards about having his office off-limits for visitors. He could really use some solitude right now.

“I don’t know.” Minghao sighed and went back to typing on his laptop. He heard Soonyoung mutter a profanity under his breath. Well at least he’s not as loud as Mingyu. He’s a bit more tolerable.

“Seriously, you guys are stressing me out.” Soonyoung ran his fingers through his hair with a groan, grabbing the white mug of coffee Jihoon had in his hand and downed it all in one go. Jihoon smacks him in the head with a folder, causing him to choke a bit on the coffee. Grabbing the mug from Soonyoung, the secretary left the room, muttering something about whiny bitches and being mentally challenged.

Soonyoung chose to ignore him, finding his way towards one of the chairs in front of Minghao’s desk and sighing out loud as he sat.

“He’s with your brother, isn’t he?”

“Who knows?”

“Minghao.”

“Yeah, he’s with him alright. And it’s actually a good thing than having the two of them here in my office.”

“Actually it’s not.” Minghao stops typing then. He knows the tone Soonyoung just used on him. Okay, so this is serious. He gives his full attention to his best friend while setting his laptop aside.

“What’s got you bothered, Kwon?” Soonyoung sighed as an answer and fished his phone out of his pocket. Unlocking it, he went straight to Instagram before handing his phone over to Minghao who still had to adjust to the ridiculous level of screen brightness.

When he finally got a clear look of what his friend was showing him, the first thing that came out of his mouth was…

“Fuck.”

Before Soonyoung could even react, Minghao had already left the room with his keys and coat.


	6. Up To Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New character added~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I am so sorry for this very late update aaaaaaaaaaaaaa
> 
> School's been quite tough to me these days and I'm finding it hard to spare time to just sit and update. But rest assured that I'm not abandoning this fic even if it's crappy as hell lmaooo
> 
> That's all and happy reading! <3

“Let go.”

“How about no?”

“I’m warning you.”

“Am I supposed to get weak in the knees then?”

“C-can’t you just both let go of me?”

“No/ No way, doll.” Minghao glared at the man gripping Junhui’s left wrist tightly. The said man seems like he has no intentions of letting his step-brother go, and that taunting smile of his makes Minghao want to beat the daylights out of him if only he didn’t have a reputation to maintain which for a fact is already slightly tainted due to this scene they’re currently causing in the coffee shop. He gripped Junhui’s right wrist tighter, unaware of how he’s hurting him, and attempted to pull him to his side for the fourth time. He failed, because the other man had an equally strong hold on Junhui.

“Both of you, let go.” Soonyoung said for the third time, but no matter how intimidating he already sounds by using his serious tone, neither Minghao nor the other male complied.

“You’re hurting Jun, Hao.” Mingyu calmly spoke beside him, but Hao could see and feel how tensed he is as he continued to worry for Junhui being in the middle of their uncalled for argument. Minghao said nothing but kept his firm grip on his step-brother’s wrist.

“Seriously dude, let go.” The other male spoke, that taunting tone setting Minghao on edge.

“It’s not like we were having any problems here before you barged in and caused a scene.” Minghao scoffed at that.

“Always playing the innocent part, Yanan. How predictable of you.” The words came out as a low growl, but it was loud enough for the five of them to hear and for Junhui to sense the commotion about to escalate if this continues.

“Always having your nose in my business, Minghao. How _very_ predictable of you.”

“Let him go.”

“How about you let him go?”

“This isn’t a game, Yanan.”

“Says the guy who said I always play the innocent part just now.” At that, Minghao, without warning, pulled at Junhui’s wrist rather harshly, causing Yanan to lose his grip and Junhui to stumble against Minghao who immediately circled a strong arm around his waist and pulled him closer. Junhui’s face was accidentally nuzzled into his collarbone and hidden from prying eyes.

“If I ever see you near my brother again—“

“You will.” Yanan chuckled, but everyone could tell that there was no humor in it. He took two confident steps closer, causing Minghao to hold Junhui impossibly close and for said male to silently whimper because Hao’s hand on his waist is slightly hurting him in the process.

“I’ll make sure of that.” The statement only caused Minghao to glare harder at Yanan, who then returned to the bright persona he was sporting earlier when he approached Junhui and Mingyu at their table.

“Till next time, doll.” And with that, he left the four of them standing tensely inside the coffee shop.

It took a pissed off glare from Minghao for everyone else inside the shop to go back to their own businesses. Soonyoung tapped his shoulder and gestured for them to sit on an unoccupied table as a waiter approached them with an unsure smile and slightly trembling hands holding the menu. Soonyoung ordered for them without bothering to ask them what they’ll be having since the rest of his companions look like they still need to remember who they were and what were their purposes in life.

“How did you even know we were here?” Mingyu was the first to break the silence after the waiter left their table. Junhui immediately turned to Minghao who sat beside him in dangerous silence.

“We saw Yanan’s IG story.” Soonyoung said plainly.

Right. Yanan approached them, claiming to be friends with Mingyu. Since the taller male didn’t know much about the bad blood between him and Minghao, he let the other male join them despite knowing that Minghao would probably be pissed. Well, he had no idea Minghao would be _this_ pissed.

“Who was he, really?” Junhui looked at Minghao, expecting an answer. But what he got was cold treatment, Minghao was acting like he wasn’t there. And so he tried to hide his slightly offended look by turning to look at Soonyoung who almost coughed at the awkwardness and tension between the brothers.

“Uh, he’s Minghao’s cousin.” Soonyoung was forced to explain, and everyone could notice how he was so hesitant on saying the word ‘cousin’. When they got no reaction from Minghao, Soonyoung continued with his story.

“He’s adopted, so they’re not really blood-related. He’s a model here in Seoul and collaborated with Gyu here twice already. He’s got good looks but he’s quite—“

“Quite a motherfucking pain in the fuckin’ ass.” Junhui visibly flinched at Minghao’s words. The three of them could practically hear the growl in his voice and it was so intimidating that none of them dared to speak afterwards.

“What were you even thinking, Kim Mingyu?” Minghao turned to Mingyu who looked so surprised that all their attentions were suddenly on him. He pointed at himself with a very confused expression and it took Hao almost all of his self control not to throw a vase at his best friend.

“I told you already about what that bastard is like. Why did you let him near Junhui?” Mingyu stuttered for explanations. He knows he has no way out of this. Indeed, Minghao once told him about how much of an asshole Yanan is, but he’s gotta admit the bright smile the male was giving him earlier fooled him.

“And you.” Junhui’s eyes widened in shock when Minghao turned his attention to him, looking him in the eyes with those piercing dark orbs that threatened to knock his breath off.

“Has nobody ever taught you not to talk to random strangers?” The venom and sarcasm was evident in Minghao’s voice and Junhui suddenly felt so small and stupid under his gaze. He lowered his eyes to his hands and tugged nervously at his own sleeves.

“M-Mingyu knew him-“

“ _Mingyu knew him._ ” Minghao rolled his eyes at his brother as he looked away. The amount of innocence and naivety on Junhui’s voice was driving him on edge.

Silence took over. Junhui wanted to say something, but what could he say? He’s as clueless and as dumb as deer caught in the headlights right now. He wants to ask Soonyoung about it but the other male wouldn’t meet his eyes, avoiding taking the risk of pissing Minghao off again.

So they waited for whatever Minghao was about to say or do next. They didn’t wait for long. Minghao glanced at his watch and with a sigh he turned to his three other companions, stress all over his features and making Junhui and Mingyu feel guilty.

“I have work. Take Junhui home.” He told Mingyu before standing up and leaving without a word.

“Uh, we actually came here in his car and now I have to take a fuckin’ cab.” Soonyoung sighed while getting on his feet to leave.

“I could give you a ride home.” Mingyu offered, also standing up to leave. Junhui followed shortly, watching the two friends quietly while his mind kept on replaying the scene they caused earlier with Yanan.

“Thought you’d never ask.” Soonyoung grinned and they all proceeded to the parking lot.

 

 

 

 

“Why didn’t you tell me Yanan was in Seoul?” Jihoon was about to mutter a lifeless ‘welcome back’ to his boss but Minghao beat him to it. The other male was looming over him and his desk, an unpleasant expression on his face. Jihoon just shrugged because he somehow expected this to happen, just not this soon though.

“You didn’t ask. And it’s not like he concerns you-“

“Well he does now, Lee. I just saw him making a move on Junhui-“

“Nothing surprising there. We all know Yanan’s kind of a fuckboy and even if he’s not your brother’s too attractive-“

“Jihoon!” The secretary was taken aback by Minghao’s sudden outburst, but he immediately returned to his nonchalant expression.

“It’s true. And there’s not much you can do about it except for telling him to be more careful next time. Your father won’t be so pleased with both you and Yanan fighting over your step-brother like stupid brats. You need to calm down, Minghao. There are a lot more important things to think about than this. For one, you have a meeting at 3pm with—oh would you look at that, Yanan’s father.” And with that, Jihoon went back to work in silence, completely ignoring his presence. Minghao groaned. If he didn’t like Yanan, he despised Yanan’s father. The old man obviously has his eyes on Xu Electronics, just patiently waiting for his chance to strike at Minghao and his father to ruin their careers. He’s always on the lookout for even the slightest errors he could use against them and the fact that he’s calling for a meeting now tells Minghao that he’s gonna try and do the same thing again. It’s an annoyingly endless cycle, and Minghao hates the fact that he’s associated with the likes of them but it’s not like he has a choice.

Not bothering to say something snappy in return, Minghao proceeded to his office to work his ass off again and to prepare himself mentally for his meeting later. Yanan’s father likes to mess with him by telling him things that piss him off on unexplainable levels like pointing out his lacking competency as his father’s heir through criticizing the quality of his work performance.

Most times the man’s just doing it to agitate him, but there are also times when his points hit the spot. Those are times Minghao heartily wishes he could chop the man’s tongue off or staple his lips shut.

He’s worked hard to earn everything that he’s earned, and it’s bullshit to receive bullshit despite all of his efforts.

 

 

 

 

“Y-you’re back.” Minghao eyed Junhui who was standing beside the couch on the living room like a loyal dog. It didn’t help that he was wearing a very loose white shirt and shorts either. He looks exactly like those ideal sub boyfriends waiting for their man to come home-

“Yeah.” Minghao looked away and proceeded to taking off his shoes and putting them in the shoe rack. He then started to remove his necktie and coat. During the whole time he did this he could feel Junhui’s eyes on him, possibly trying to think of something to say to him because of the circumstance this morning.

“D-did you have dinner already? I-I cooked for us.” When he turned to look at his step-brother, there was a hesitant smile on his lips as if he’s testing the waters. And by the way he’s hiding his hands on his back Minghao could tell that he’s fidgeting like a nervous little teenager.

Minghao finds it cute.

“Let’s eat then.”

 

 

 

 

The whole dinner was spent in silence. Neither started a conversation, and it was awfully awkward. Minghao didn’t wanna say anything, because he might say something offending since the memory of Yanan’s annoying and shit-eating grin still lingers in his thoughts. Junhui didn’t wanna speak either, too afraid that he might say something wrong and piss his brother even more. But both knew they at least had to say-

“Junhui/Minghao.” They both chuckled awkwardly at the overly cliché situation. Junhui gestured for Minghao to speak first.

“I’m sorry for lashing out a bit at you earlier.” Minghao looked away from Junhui who was looking at him intently and sincerely. There’s an uncomfortable feeling settling in his stomach by the way the other male is staring at him and he honestly wants him to stop because it feels incredibly weird.

“Yanan and I don’t get along too well. I hate his guts and he hates mine. We’ve always been rivals ever since we met. But I have my own reasons as to why I despise him. For one, he’s such an asshole. He just looks like he’s heaven-sent but please don’t be like all those idiots fawning over him. He’s a nasty little shit with nasty tricks up his sleeve, Junhui. Just..be careful next time, please.” Minghao scratched his nape awkwardly, and Junhui didn’t say anything in return. He just nodded like a puppy figurine on a car dashboard, looking at Minghao with those trusting innocent eyes.

“You’re fucking cute.”

“I am?” Junhui blinked twice and literally gaped at Minghao who was taken aback by his reaction.

Silence followed. Minghao swears he could almost hear crickets and whatnot because it was suddenly too quiet. He noticed the faint blush on Junhui’s cheeks and that’s when realization hit him like a fucking huge wrecking ball.

“I said that out loud didn’t I?”

Junhui just nodded, the shocked expression still evident on his face.

 

 

 

 

“Wen Junhui…” Yanan was too focused on his laptop’s screen to notice his manager enter his room.

“What’re you doing this late in the evening? You have a photoshoot tomorrow kid.” The older man said as he placed his coffee cup on Yanan’s desk. The younger of the two didn’t even bother to spare him a glance, too focused on the image results Google provided for his search.

Most were stolen shots while some were obviously from photoshoots. And Yanan couldn’t deny that Junhui is quite the beauty. That’s why he decided to approach the other male in the first place. And now with Minghao in the picture things just got more interesting for him. The way Minghao glared at him earlier at the coffee shop is enough for him to conclude that Junhui means—if not a lot—something to him.

“He’s gorgeous.” Yanan licked his lips, and his manager looks at him with a raised eyebrow like he’s judging the model’s whole existence. When he came closer to have a look at whatever Yanan was staring at on his laptop, the other male slammed it shut and simply smirked at him like a typically mischievous child.

“What are you up to this time?” The older man asked, highly aware that the look on Yanan’s face means he has now found a new game he wants to play. This makes him worry for Yanan. He treats everything like a game no matter how many times he’s been told to take matters seriously.

“Nothing.” Yanan answers with an innocent smile, and his manager knows better than to believe that. Because every time he answers nothing, he’s definitely up to something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts about this update in the comment section :))
> 
> Also, feel free to check out my twitter @incorrectjunhao~ I post incorrect quotes and SVT drawings there and I'm not a snob I promise :"))
> 
> Thank youuu~


	7. Is it a crush?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minghao's on a crisis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me so long to update :(

When Junhui woke up to the sun’s rays hitting his face at seven in the morning, he decided to roll over to the direction opposite from his window and cover his face with his blanket and go back to sleep. With a contented sigh he was about to drift back to dreamland when his phone almost literally blew up his right ear by ringing so loudly all of a sudden. With a groan he realises that he forgot to put it on the nightstand when he went to bed last night. Now he suffers the consequences.

 

He squints his eyes at the device’s screen to see who was calling him so damn early in the morning and yawns the rest of the sleepiness away. Realising it was his beloved mother, he immediately got up on the bed and accepted the call, fingers slightly shaking with excitement because he honestly misses his mom so much.

 

“Hey mom—”

 

(Junnie honeyyyy~) Junhui chuckled at the endearment pronounced on such a cheerful tone. His mother tends to be childish at times, and when she does it this simply means that she’s really happy. Junhui’s glad to say the least, because that means his mother is happy with her new husband now. He just sincerely hopes and prays that it lasts.

 

(I miss you so much!) A fond smile made its way to Junhui’s lips as he listens to his mother talk about her fun experiences during their honeymoon in Ireland for the next five minutes. He occasionally gives reactions like small gasps and giggles at particular things his mother says. He feels really happy for her because even though he can’t see her, her voice is so lively and cheerful and infectious in a way because Junhui couldn’t help but smile to himself during the whole conversation.

 

(By the way honey, I know this is a bit too abrupt but your dad and I are gonna be back to Seoul this evening. We’re currently in the plane now as we speak.) Junhui, despite being surprised at the sudden announcement, shakes his head in disbelief. His mother has a tendency to not follow plane safety procedures like putting your phone into airplane mode when boarding the plane, and no matter how many times he has told her about it she keeps doing the same thing.

 

“Mom, what did I tell you about using your phone on the plane hmm?” Junhui says in a scolding tone, though he couldn’t suppress the soft smile as he listens to his mother ramble explanations just to justify why she’s using her phone at the moment despite restrictions.

 

(Anyway, we miss you and Minghao so much son. We already decided to come back home because we want to be with our precious angels again~) The way his mother is telling him all this in a singsong manner makes Junhui giggle as he stands up to proceed to the bathroom for his morning routine. He puts his phone on speaker mode and places it on the shelf just beside the sink before grabbing the essentials for his daily morning ritual.

 

(Will our angels come pick us up from the airport when we arrive hmm?) His mom asks in a high pitched voice and Junhui knows she’s trying to act cute despite that factor already being too evident in her overall personality. With a smile he agrees wholeheartedly, and his mom proceeds to tell him their arrival time and other things with so much excitement that can barely be contained. Junhui didn’t get to talk to his father (the idea of having a new father still surprises him until now) because the man was apparently fast asleep according to his mom, since he had so much fun exploring the beautiful places in Ireland. He tells his mom that it’s okay and that he completely understands before proceeding to end the call first because he doesn’t want his mom to keep speaking to him on the phone while she’s on a plane.

 

He finishes his morning routine fast and has already taken a bath. He was about to put on some outdoor clothes because he was planning to go to a mall alone today for a bit of a change and some alone time but then he remembered his step brother who’s probably still fast asleep in his own room since it’s a lovely and warm Sunday morning.

 

He decides to wake Minghao up and tell him the good news of their parents coming home tonight from their honeymoon.

 

Keeping the bath robe on, he steps away from his closet and happily skips from his room to his brother’s, knocking thrice on the wooden door. When he gets no answer, he proceeds to slowly twisting the knob and realises it’s unlocked. He pushes the door open and takes a hesitant peek inside, only to find his brother sleeping soundly on his bed, his raven hair all over his face and looking so peaceful and calm which is much far from the expressions he makes when he’s up and awake. With a small grin in his lips, Junhui tiptoes his way to Minghao’s bed and stops right beside his sleeping figure.

 

This is the first time Junhui’s gonna try waking up his brother after having stayed in his apartment for a while now and he honestly has no clue how the other male would react to it. He just hopes nothing worse would happen like Minghao throwing his body off the window or drowning him in the bath tub.

 

“Minghao.”

 

 

 

 

 

“Are you sure you don’t—”

 

“Yes yes I am sure you can go now havefunonyourshoppingbrothertakecareandgoodbye." Minghao practically shoves a very confused Junhui out of his apartment before closing the door shut and leaning against it with a heavy sigh. He takes an audible gulp before looking around the entirety of his apartment’s living room as if he’s being watched by prying eyes, something he has never done before. With a frustrated groan he runs his fingers through his hair and proceeds to the kitchen to get himself a glass of very cold water because he desperately needs to get a grip of himself and he feels really dumb right now.

 

“HOLY FUCKING COW.” Minghao literally jumps in surprise when his phone suddenly rang from his pocket. He grabbed it and glared at the screen as if the lifeless object could feel fear just by seeing his pissed off face. Realising who called, he answers it immediately and brings the device to his ear.

 

“What do you want, Jihoon?”

 

(Good morning too, boss.) Minghao could see his secretary rolling his eyes comically from the other line, but he’s not really in the mood to argue with him so he decides to get straight to the point and asks the man what he called for.

 

(Your father notified me that he and your step mother will be back—)

 

“Junhui already told me. Is that all?” Minghao let out an exasperated sigh before sitting on a stool by the kitchen counter and placing his glass on the marble surface with a soft ‘clink’.

 

(Aside from you having four meetings tomorrow which you already know about, that’s all. Good day.) Before Minghao could even say anything back, Jihoon has already ended the call. Minghao rolled his eyes at the secretary’s lack of emotion when he greeted him a good day. He sounds too distant and reserved, but Minghao doesn’t stress himself trying to figure out why because he still has an entirely different thing to think about.

 

Junhui.

 

Wen fucking Junhui.

 

Minghao swears Junhui came into his life to torture him bit by bit, and he’s quite convinced at his own assumption right now. Ever since Junhui came waltzing gracefully towards him that night on his father’s wedding like he came straight out of a fairytale book, Minghao has been nothing but distracted in the following months. Junhui, wether consciously or unconsciously, is constantly doing things that makes Minghao react on unexplainable ways and intensities which has never happened to him before. _Ever._

 

One perfect example happened just a few moments ago, when he woke up to the sight of Junhui—his step brother—wearing nothing but a white bath robe. _A damn white bath robe_. It would’ve been a completely normal getup after obviously taking a bath, but we’re talking about Wen Junhui here.

 

Minghao _literally_ chokes on his own spit when his mind finally processed what his eyes were seeing so early in the Sunday morning.

 

Junhui sporting a wet look and showing more golden skin(particularly his collarbones and chest) than necessary because he didn’t tie the robe around his waist properly had Minghao coughing pathetically on the bed while trying to calm his erratic heartbeat. Alarms had beed going off on his head and he probably looked like a fish out of water struggling for survival at that very moment.

 

What a good way to start a day.

 

To make things worse, Junhui hurried over to him and helped him sit up while asking if he’s okay with that sweet and soft voice of his, meaning he’s at an even closer proximity, and Minghao noted how good he smells—

 

“I’m up, I’m up.” _Goddammit._

 

 _God fucking dammit._ Minghao mentally slaps himself while rushing to his own bathroom without another word to his brother who was still sitting on his bed and looking at him with a slightly surprised expression.

 

Minghao turns to look at his reflection in the mirror and was greeted by the sight of a blushing mess with disheveled hair. Great. He’s blushing because of Junhui. His fucking step brother for fuck’s sake. He stops himself from groaning out loud because Junhui’s probably still on his bed right now.

 

The thought of Junhui sitting on his bed in that damn bath robe while looking utterly ~~fuckable~~ beautiful made Minghao want to fill  his bath tub to the brim and drown himself along with the wild thoughts he’s been having towards dear clueless Wen Junhui. It was so wrong on so many levels Minghao tries to think of other things instead of the way the other male’s hair falls perfectly over his forehead, the way his eyes look so wide and innocent and sparkly, the way his lips look so soft and plump and pink—

 

Thinking of other things is clearly not working.

 

Minghao groaned upon recalling this morning’s occurrence. He pinches the bridge of his nose with his fingers and closes his eyes shut as a low hiss of frustration escapes his lips. Normally, Sundays would be the time for him to relax and focus more on himself, but now it’s not and Minghao blames Junhui for it.

 

“Fucking hell.” Minghao had cursed under his breath when he noticed the very evident tent in his shorts when he looked down. He wanted to just yeet himself off the window and die a young, bisexual, almost-successful business man, but of course that would be so dramatic and irrational so he puts the thought aside. Everything he has in his mind right now is so wrong and so not good on so many levels and it’s making his panic mode worsen by the minute.

 

It takes Junhui knocking on his bathroom door to ask if he’s okay to bring him back to his senses. With a shaky ‘yes’ that actually sounds so embarrassing for a fully grown man, Minghao proceeds to splashing cold water on his face and brushing his teeth in a very uncoordinated manner while trying to minimise the rapid beating of his heart through taking deep breaths.

 

“Fucking shi—” Minghao immediately looks away and walks past Junhui who was standing outside his bathroom while still wearing that damn bathrobe. He almost runs like a terrified giraffe to his walk-in closet and locks himself in.

 

“Go change into something appropriate!” He groans when his step brother follows him like a loyal dog and knocks at the door of his closet while calling out his name.

 

“Oh, sorry.” Minghao finally heaves a sigh of relief when he hears footsteps leave his room.

 

Or so he thought.

 

Tight jeans and plain white shirts are a common thing in Korean male fashion and is worn by almost everyone as a simple getup, but Wen Junhui somehow manages to look effortlessly ravishing in such basic clothing as if he just popped out from a foreign magazine. And the fact that he wore minimal makeup today makes things worse for Minghao.

 

So when Junhui made his grand entrance on the living room looking like the nation’s ideal boyfriend, Minghao had literally dragged him to the door and sent him his merry way despite the confused look on his face. He swears one more minute around his step brother and he might just do something utterly stupid.

 

Minghao doesn’t remember when he first started to feel _this affected_ by his step brother. Sure, he found Junhui attractive the first time he laid eyes on the other male, but it’s only now that he’s freaking out because of almost every little thing Junhui does.

 

“What the actual fuck.” Minghao groans again and grabs a fistful of his own hair while trying to get his thoughts straight. He couldn’t possibly be crushing on his own step brother right?

 

“I’m fucking screwed.” Minghao whines when an image of Junhui in the white bathrobe unexpectedly crosses his mind.

 

 

 

 

Junhui was all smiles when he arrived at the mall. It feels so new and refreshing to see the hangeul alphabet everywhere instead of the usual Chinese characters that he has grown so accustomed to when he was still living in China. It’s a good thing he actually knows how to speak Korean and read hangeul, so going around in this foreign place alone isn’t so hard for him.

 

He had no particular goal in mind when he decided to go to the mall, he just wanted to stroll around and do a bit of sightseeing. He’s not really a fan of outdoor activities and would actually prefer to just stay in the apartment and let the day pass, but curiosity of what life in Seoul looks and feels like made him get out of bed and convinced him to explore a bit.

 

He stops in front of a random bookstore when his phone suddenly rang from his pocket. He took it out and when he saw who was calling, he almost squeals like a lovestruck teenager then and there.

 

“Jisoo.” Junhui practically giggles like a highschooler talking to the campus heartthrob for the first time and he almost wanted to slap himself in mild embarrassment when he noticed people spare him weirded out glances as they pass by. He clears his throat and goes inside the bookstore for a little privacy, pretending to scan random books from the shelves.

 

(Hey Jun! How are you?) Junhui grins as soon as he hears Jisoo’s lively voice from the other line. Needless to say, he misses the other male and it’s been a while since he’s contacted or seen Jisoo.

_He must be so busy back in China._ Junhui thinks, and it causes his smile to falter a bit because he couldn’t help but think that he’s one of the reasons why Jisoo is struggling with his work. He’s the one who’s supposed to handle their company, not his mother’s secretary. But Jisoo was kind enough to carry the burden for him because he knows Junhui wants different things and running a business isn’t one of them.

 

“I’m great! How about you?” Junhui masks the feeling of guilt in his chest with his lovely voice. His other hand grabs a random book and he starts flipping through the pages just to distract himself more from the negative thoughts that suddenly crossed his mind. He can’t sound down when Jisoo is calling him obviously to check on him. The other male must be bothered enough with work already to bother with his own emotional endeavours.

 

(I’m fine, actually I just took a three-day leave.) Junhui hums as an answer, his focus on their conversation slightly distracted by the beautiful Hangeul words printed in calligraphy on the next random book he laid eyes on.

 

(I heard your parents are coming back from their honeymoon and Ireland.) Junhui smiles and nodded, but after realising Jisoo couldn’t possibly see the gesture, he mutters a quick ‘yes’ which was answered by a soft chuckle from the other line.

 

“They’re gonna be back in the evening. She told me that she wants me and Minghao to pick them up from the airport. And if they’re early, maybe we could have dinner together.”

 

(I see. Hey Junnie?) Junhui grins widely at the nickname. It’s not the first time Jisoo has ever called him that, but it still has the same effect on him.

 

“Yes?” He asks back. He was about to grab another book when he suddenly felt something against his waist.

 

(Would you mind turning—)

 

Junhui didn’t hear the rest of what Jisoo was telling him because he was forced to let out a startled yelp when he felt the pressure of a firm and warm grip on his waist. In a swift motion he turns around and manages to pull away from the person’s hold on him. He tries backing away which was really pointless because his back had already collided with the shelves before he could even take a full step back.

 

The startled expression on his face soon changes into a look of recognition as his eyes landed on the face of the person who so confidently grabbed him by the waist in public.

 

“Hey.”


	8. A New Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I took so long to update :((( Believe it or not even my summer is quite busy that I barely have time to make AU updates. I still hope you guys would enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! :D

“Yanan.” Junhui says plainly and gives the taller male a small smile. Yanan grins back at him boyishly, proudly showing off his pearly white teeth like he’s shooting for a toothpaste commercial. He stares Junhui up and down quietly before he focuses on the other male’s face, observing every detail and feature as if he’s an art piece he should study and engrave in his memory. Needless to say, Junhui is starting to feel awkward.

“Din’t expect to find you here.”

“Okay.” Junhui mentally slaps himself for giving such a dumb answer, but he doesn’t dwell on that too long. He recalls Yanan and Minghao nearly causing a commotion in the coffee shop Mingyu took him to and now he can’t help but doubt the sincerity in Yanan’s smiles and gestures. So maybe it’s just appropriate to show him the lack of enthusiasm.

“Where’s lil bro? Thought I’d run into him since you’re here.” Yanan asks calmly while looking around, possibly searching for his step-brother. Junhui shakes his head as an answer.

“He’s not with—“

“Wonderful! Wanna stroll around?” Junhui visibly flinches when Yanan leaned down and closer to him to somehow lessen the height difference. The taller male is patiently waiting for his answer with that boyish grin plastered on his face. Junhui swallows and blinks rapidly. Minghao would probably get mad if he ever finds out that his step-brother hung out with someone he clearly despised, but it was suddenly so hard to turn down that seemingly harmless and expectant smile. Yanan already knows the answer before Junhui could even open his mouth to speak.

“Uhh—“

“Junhui.” Both males turned to the direction of the person who called for Junhui’s name.

 

 

“What.” It wasn’t a question but rather a statement summarizing Minghao’s emotions at the moment. When he got out from work, his father gave him a call and notified him that they arrived earlier than expected and are currently waiting for him at the restaurant where they occasionally have dinner when his father is in a good mood. His father has already called Junhui beforehand and told him that the other male was on the way so that he won’t bother stopping by his apartment. What his father didn’t tell him is that Yanan, his father, and another guy he didn’t know have also been invited to dine with them.

With fists clenched on his sides he took his seat right in front of his step-brother who hesitantly smiles at him, a sort of guilty look in his eyes. He didn’t dare look to the right where Yanan sat rather confidently and comfortably next to his step-brother, well aware that his presence made Minghao’s mood turn sour.

Minghao’s father was no different. In fact, he clearly looks like he was just forced to invite Yanan and his father over to dinner. This was further confirmed when Junhui’s mother explained that they both ran into Yanan’s father at the airport, the happy smile and excitend tone she’s using enough for Minghao to conclude that she’s the sole cause of all of this. Minghao couldn’t blame her though, she’s practically clueless about how much of a pain in the ass his uncle and cousin are to know not to invite them in supposedly family dinners. Speaking of family dinners…

Minghao looks at the unfamiliar face sitting on Junhui’s right side, speaking to him in a hushed voice and causing the Chinese to giggle softly and whisper something back which soon had them snickering at each other like they’re the only ones in the room. Junhui’s mother clearing her throat caught their attention and as soon as Junhui looked away from the other male his eyes landed on Minghao, who immediately looks away and acts busy with his glass of champagne.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Junhui’s cheerful voice interrupted the sudden awkward silence between them. Everyone focused their attention to Junhui as he proudly gestures to the person at his right with a huge grin on his face.

“This is Hong Jisoo. She’s mom’s most trusted employee and he’s currently handling our business back in China. He’s also a very good friend of mine.” Jisoo says his greetings politely then looks at Junhui as if asking if he did well with his introduction. Junhui nods enthusiastically and gives him a smile so bright which caused Minghao to raise one of his eyebrows in silent question.

Now he’s not one of those smart-ass people who have this innate capability in them to read what’s on other people’s minds but he’s also not dumb enough to not notice how Junhui’s body language around Jisoo seems a bit…different.

For one, he’s sitting closer to the other male, and there’s almost a foot-long gap between his seat and Yanan’s. It’s a bit of a good thing though, since Minghao would obviously prefer his step brother sitting close next to anyone but his shitty cousin.

Another thing he notices is how the two of them seems to be having a little world of their own. They’d whisper and giggle to each other occasionally and would barely participate in discussions with everyone else.

The last thing that has Minghao furrowing his brows is how Junhui had linked his and Jisoo’s arms together and is practically leaning against the older male. Okay, he gets that they’re friends, that Jisoo is Junhui’s ‘very good friend’, but they’re having dinner out in public and from Minghao’s perspective what they’re doing is basically PDA.

It’s PDA alright, especially with the way they’re sitting so close to each other and with how Junhui looks at Jisoo like the other male has stardust in his eyes. Minghao furrows his brows. This is supposed to be a family dinner, and it’s already shit because of his uncle and Yanan’s unwanted presence. Minghao could absolutely use a bit of silence and formality from Junhui’s _very good friend—_

“HaoHao is there something in my face?”

“Huh?” Minghao blinks rapidly and looks around to see everyone looking at him curiously.

“Wait, what?” He asks stupidly, and he swears he could hear and see Yanan snickering through his peripheral vision. He suddenly has this very strong urge to kick his cousin’s leg under the table and hopefully launch him off to Timbuktu, but he forces himself to let whatever decency he has left dominate over him. His dad’s sitting within an arm’s reach from him, he can’t risk the old man’s wrath now. Plus, he wasn’t raised to be such an immature brat, so he would not be an immature brat.

“You’ve been…staring at my face..?” Junhui asks hesitantly and Yanan drops his fork on his plate with a short laugh, coming up with a fake excuse that he just saw a funny meme on Instagram while waving his phone to justify his explanation. But the way his eyes briefly look at Minghao was enough indication for him that his cousin had been laughing at him, and god he does want to kick his cousin to outer space right now.

“Oh,” Minghao clears his throat and gives Junhui a small smile.

“Just spaced out for a bit. Sorry. There’s nothing on your face Junhui.” His step brother nods in understanding and just like that, he goes back to whatever conversation he was having with Jisoo as if nothing happened. Minghao can’t help but furrow his brows. Who exactly is this Hong Jisoo guy and why is Junhui radiating so much good vibes with him?

 

 

 

Junhui was having one of the best times of his life. He never expected Jisoo to show up at the mall this morning when he ran into Yanan by the bookstore. He had felt saved from an awkward situation with Minghao’s cousin, and after all this time of missing his rainbow cotton candy crush he finally gets to be with him for three days. It’s not much, but Junhui will take whatever he can get.

Jisoo was currently making a little joke about scallops, and Junhui was trying his best not to laugh out loud since his step-father and Minghao’s uncle are having a conversation about a possible business expansion and other important stuff. It proves to be a hard task though, because Jisoo was currently being such a dork and literally everything he’s doing right now makes Junhui want to laugh out loud.

He’s not gonna lie, he missed Jisoo so much. They haven’t been communicating much lately, since Jisoo has been dedicating most of his time to work. Junhui is ever grateful for the other male’s dedication to the success of their company, but there are also times when he just wants to see the other male and be with him without bothering about work and life going on around them. He’s not always this selfish when it comes to the things he wants, but with Jisoo he’s suddenly breaking his own norms.

“Jun, you got something on your face.” Jisoo suddenly says after a short beat of silence while pointing at Junhui’s face. Junhui asks ‘where?’ before wiping his hand over his left cheek. Jisoo rolls his eyes mischievously and scoots a little closer to Junhui’s personal space, effectively catching him off guard. He wipes off the sauce on the right corner of Junhui’s lip with his own table napkin and gives him a smile when he’s done with the task. He goes back to eating silently, while Junhui is stuck in his place, mind still processing what happened just a few moments ago.

“He’s such a child isn’t he?” His mother’s voice brought him back from spacing out when she suddenly spoke with her giggly voice. Junhui looks around and sees everyone on the table except Jisoo looking at him with unreadable expressions. Well, he notes that Minghao is squinting his eyes at him but his expression is still unreadable for Junhui.

“He’s a total baby in a man’s body, and I’m glad Jisoo here is willing to take care of my little baby any time I can’t.” His mom gives him a very endearing smile, and Junhui flushes in his seat. At age 23, he just got called ‘baby’ by his own mother twice in front of five other adults. But that wasn’t the only thing that made him feel shy, it’s also how his mother had mentioned Jisoo taking care of him. As cliché as it may sound he’s now feeling the butterflies fluttering in his stomach, the overwhelming feeling making him blush even more because of the fact that they’re having a family dinner which is technically not the most ideal time to have these teenage crush feels. He feels embarrassed to say the least.

“Oh please ma’am, it will always be my greatest pleasure to look over little Junnie here.” And that does it. Jisoo ruffles his hair with a boyish grin plastered on his face and Junhui wants nothing more than to turn into the scallop he has on his plate. His whole system is in chaos, and he could only manage a small smile as a reply. He seriously needs to get a grip or rather his mother and Jisoo should both just leave him alone.

“Dude, you’re beating up the steak.” They all look at Minghao after Yanan spoke. Minghao looks around with a half-impressed expression, his steak having both his knife and fork stabbed in it on weird angles. He gives Yanan a subtle glare that could pass as a harmless squinting of his eyes if no one in the table had a clue about the bad blood between them.

“There’s this essential thing in life we call ‘minding our own businesses’, Yanan.” Minghao answers, and the smile he gave his cousin was so fake even the most clueless person could tell. Tension engulfed the whole table before Junhui’s mom clapped her hands cheerfully to get their attentions and called a waiter over to order some desserts.

 

 

 

 

Minghao wanted to bang his own forehead on the table. Of all the people who could notice his composure waver a bit, it had to be Yanan. He grips his own thigh from under the table and wills himself to calm down. He downs a glass of water and looks at anywhere but Yanan, Junhui and Jisoo—the three reasons why he’s slowly losing his calm.

It’s already a given that he hates Yanan’s existence so much, so let’s skip explaining that part. Throughout the dinner Minghao couldn’t help but notice how Junhui and Jisoo are interacting so much to the point that they’re already ignoring everyone else. They’re sitting so close to each other, wiping each other’s faces with table napkins, giggling to each other and ruffling each other’s hairs and it makes Minghao’s mood turn sourer than lemon.

 _This is a fucking family dinner, not some best friends tea party_ , Minghao thinks to himself as he continues to observe Junhui and Jisoo. And oh, they’re whispering to each other now. Great Just great. Everything’s peachy for Minghao.

He couldn’t find a proper explanation as to why watching the two males interact sort of pisses him off. Aside from him, no one else seems as bothered by the two having their own world and not participating in whatever family discussion they’re having. Well, maybe it’s because he’s sitting across the two and he could clearly see them both being too touchy and close to each other, which in his opinion is not something ideal between guys who are _just friends_. Minghao is caught off guard by the content of his thoughts.

_Why the fuck am I even—_

“Excuse me, I need to go to the comfort room.” He leaves in a rush and immediately goes to the restroom. He doesn’t occupy a cubicle. Instead, he paces back and forth then proceeds to looking at his own reflection at the big mirror by the washing area. He runs a hand over his face, smoothing the harsh lines he barely acknowledged being there. He simply wonders how long he has been frowning for the lines to form between his brows.

“You know what,” Minghao was slightly startled when the restroom door suddenly opens and in comes the last person he wants to talk to at the moment.

“For a step-brother, you looked so much like a very jealous boyfriend back there dear cousin.” Yanan stands next to him, washing his hands on the sink.

“Do you even hear what the fuck you’re saying?” Minghao asks with a scoff and takes a step back. It wasn’t because he was afraid of the other male’s presence, the distance just helps lessening the possibility of Minghao punching the taller male on the face out of annoyance. He’s already pissed off that Yanan had followed him to the restroom, he doesn’t want any more trouble and stress with his and Yanan’s father in the same vicinity. That would be a total catastrophe and a huge cut against the reputation he’s worked so hard to establish.

“Relax, it’s just speculation.” Yanan says in a singsong manner.

“A fucking dumb one at that.” Minghao adds, though his statement leaves a bit of a bitter taste in his mouth. Yanan doesn’t retaliate, he just shrugs and continues to wash his hands while humming to himself.

“I’m not gonna lie, that Jisoo guy kind of pissed me off.” Yanan calmly says while wiping his hands dry with a tissue. He looks at Minghao through their reflections and the other male looks away. He can’t stand looking at that pretty boy face without feeling the strong urge to punch and ruin it. That’s how much he hates Yanan, and Yanan knows this that’s why he enjoys pissing Minghao off whenever he can.

“It’s not like I needed to know.” Minghao snaps back, but after the short moment of silence he finds himself thinking about the way Junhui sat so close to Jisoo, their interactions seemingly intimate to anyone with two functional eyes. He’s never seen the man before (they never got the chance to be introduced to each other at the wedding reception of their parents) and Junhui never said anything about Jisoo in the few conversations they had, so seeing the new face during dinner and observing how close he was with his step-brother kind of _bothered_ Minghao a bit.

_Why the fuck am I even bothered about—AISH!!!_

Minghao rolls his eyes and turns to take his leave, but Yanan stops him with a firm grip on his shoulder(he almost forgot his annoying cousin’s presence). He glares at the taller male in silent warning, but his cousin effectively maintains an unbothered expression.

“Dad’s not gonna let you have Xu Electronics, Minghao.” Minghao stills at the sudden topic shift and studies Yanan’s expression for a bit. He’s not stupid enough to identify it as a warning and not a threat, but the idea of Yanan concerning himself with Minghao makes him want to laugh.

“He doesn’t scare me.” He simply says back, not bothering to elaborate or he might accidentally drop hints about his plans for the company that Yanan might be able to use against him. Minghao cannot afford to be so tactless around the other male, since years of unwanted interactions with Yanan has taught him an important lesson: that pretty face cannot be underestimated.

The taller male acknowledges his answer with a slow nod as he releases his grip and takes a step back, and Minghao takes this as his cue to leave the restroom.

Yanan shrugs and turns to the mirror to stare at his own reflection. He runs his fingers through his hair in an attempt to fix it, but the strands stubbornly stick in all directions. Well whatever. He’s a model anyway. Messy hair or not, he could confidently pull any look off.

“At least I warned you.” He says to no one in particular before leaving the restroom.

 

 

 

 

Junhui collides with something hard just as he was about to push the restroom door open, and he hears Yanan grunt at the impact. He immediately backs away and ducks his face, feeling a bit embarrassed for not keeping an eye on where he was going.

“Oh, it’s you.” Yanan says calmly, cheeriness dripping from his voice at the sight of a flustered Junhui. He immediately decides he likes this look on the other male, in fact he has already decided that he’s _quite attracted_ to Junhui after doing his little research on the other male. He’s interesting, to say the least, and Yanan would like to know more about Minghao’s step brother.

“I’m sorry for bumping into you.” Junhui says, words polite and he even feels the urge to bow but immediately stops himself. Yanan might think weirdly of him if he does that.

“No worries. No damage has been done.” Yanan answers coolly and dares to lift his hand and ruffle Junhui’s hair, to which the other male flinches because he wasn’t expecting nor asking for physical contact. He feels tense and uneasy, some warnings flashing in his head along with Minghao’s pissed off expression that came from nowhere. He was about to take a step back when Yanan pulls his hand away, giving Junhui one of his wide grins that show off his pearly white teeth that he takes pride in whenever he models for the leading toothpaste brand in the country.

“Cute.” The tall male says before taking his leave to return to their table, and Junhui nearly launches himself to the restroom. He clutches a hand over his shirt, feeling his fast heartbeat against his fist. He has yet to find a clear explanation as to why he’s always nervous and uneasy around Minghao’s cousin who seemed to be genuinely harmless with that charming smile of his, but he’s sure part of the reason is because of that one unwanted encounter they’ve had at the coffee shop where Minghao nearly crushes him in his arms to keep him from Yanan.

 

 

 

 

Minghao fidgets in the shotgun seat of his father’s car, the older man driving silently while keeping his eyes on the road. He fidgets because his father had personally asked him to ride with him and have Junhui take his own car instead, the look in his eyes telling Minghao they have something important to discuss alone. Even Junhui’s mother was requested to tag along with his son and Jisoo so that they could have all the privacy needed.

Times like these weren’t exactly rare between them, but they’re always serious which makes Minghao anxious. What could it be this time? Is it about the company? Did he do something wrong which Jihoon could have reported back to his father with him being fully unaware? Is he giving him a new project? Minghao’s imagination starts to run wild, matching with his bubbling anxiety.

“How’s the company son?” His father asks, though the tone in his voice tells Minghao he already knows the answer to his own question. He may not say it out loud but Minghao knows the older man has eyes on the company, these said eyes not only limited to his most trusted secretary Lee Jihoon. He could easily ask them for updates without needing to consult or notify Minghao, so he immediately figures out that his father is just trying to start the flow of their conversation.

“So far so good dad, and I have this project I want to consult you about. See if it appeals to you before I could have it implemented by next week. I’ll send you the file once I get home.” His father hums, eyes still on the road. The engine’s low growl fills the silence between them.

“Yes, Jihoon told me about that, and he gave me a bit more of the details than what I originally asked for. I must say I’m quite impressed Minghao, you can pursue it.” The old man easily agrees, and for a moment Minghao wanted to punch a fist in the air and yell victoriously like a child.

“You’ve proven yourself, Minghao. I am proud.” Minghao grips his own knees just to stop himself from flailing his arms around in genuine happiness. His father always disapproves irrationally childish behaviors and had stopped tolerating him doing it ever since he turned fifteen. He decides he’ll just call Mingyu and Soonyoung later so that they could plan for a day to celebrate. It’s not every day his father praises him and approves his proposed projects, so it’s just right for him to feel a bit too happy right now.

“Thank you, dad.” He says, happiness evident in his tone. The older man doesn’t answer and simply keeps driving. They’re close to the mansion now, Minghao thinks as he watches the car speed easily through the familiar streets.

He thinks about his project and how thankful he is that his father saw things on his perspective. It could be the start of Xu Electronics being known not just in Asia and Europe but worldwide, a big step to the success of the company if implemented well. Now, Minghao wasn’t the type to be all prayerful and too religious, but right now he’s silently thanking whichever deity helped him get his father’s blessing. With this, he could prove to his father his worth in taking over the company someday.

“By the way, Minghao,” His father breaks the silence, and Minghao looks at the older man attentively as a sign of respect.

“While I was in Ireland with your mom, I have given this quite a lot of consideration, and I finally came to a decision just three days ago.” The old man starts.

“What exactly are we talking about, dad?” Minghao asks, one eyebrow raised out of curiosity.

“Junhui will be working for Xu Electronics starting on Monday.” Minghao was glad he wasn’t the one who was driving, for he might have run the car against a post or something by now. He gapes at his father like a fish out of the water, and the old man doesn’t notice this because his eyes are fixed on the road.

“He’ll be replacing Jihoon as your personal secretary, and Jihoon will go back to being my own secretary since I can’t entrust the role to anyone else just yet. I expect good teamwork from both you and Junhui, Minghao, and I know you will not disappoint me.”

Minghao, as dramatic as it may sound, feels his head spin.

He might need to slap himself later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts about this chapter on the comment section folks, I'd gladly reply to all of them! :D  
> Good day! :))


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